


I say 'Vol, you say 'Alchemy'

by Fullmetal_Bitch



Series: Alchemists meet Agents [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: But the team know, Ed & Lance bond, Ed & Shiro bond, Ed bonds with everyone really, Ed travels to another dimension, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Flesh & Blood Lions, Gen, I spell Elicia as 'Elysia', Lance (Voltron) Has Issues, Mentions of blood and gore, Mustang follows, No Romance, Not connected to 'Medic Lance', Probs forgetting some tags, The Lions don't like Mustang much, There will be violence later on, Though Lance is still a Medic, not graphic though, they're trying to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-10-20 20:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 167,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmetal_Bitch/pseuds/Fullmetal_Bitch
Summary: The last thing Lance expected to see on his way to his room was a teenager appear out of nowhere. The first thing Ed was going to do when he saw Truth was punch it in the face. Then he was going to demand some answers about why he was in space with a group that called itself 'Voltron'This story is nearly completed and published on FF.net. Chapters will be posted every few days until caught up with what's on FF.net then will be updated every Thursday





	1. Chapter 1

Lance had his mind set on one thing and one thing only; making it to his bed before he collapsed in a random hallway of the Castle-Ship. The five of them had spent nearly a full quintent on a grueling training mission Coran and Allura had devised for them. About halfway through it, Hunk, Pidge and himself had come to the conclusion that the Alteans secretly hated them. By the time they'd completed the mission on fuck-all sleep, Lance was fairly certain Shiro and Keith had come to the same conclusion. The fact that the dobash they had the Lions back in their hangars they got a distress signal and fought the Galra and helped the planet's inhabitants for nearly half a quintent and had literally only just gotten out of the debrief Allura insisted they have, which lasted another varga, meant that the Paladins were only just now able to go and get some much needed sleep.

Lance had practically sprinted to his shower and nearly wept at the feeling of warm, running water. It wasn't just the fact that he could get clean properly for the first time in nearly two quintents; the water was soothing. He'd nearly fallen asleep in the shower when Blue reminded him his day clothes were still in her hangar. Lance had been so tempted to just leave them there but they were disgusting and needed to be washed so he'd gone down to see her. He'd spent a few minutes talking with her, making sure she was definitely okay after the last couple of quintents before grabbing his filthy clothes and leaving her after Blue insisted he get some sleep. He'd dumped the clothes down the nearest laundry shoot and had now found himself in his current predicament; finding the energy to make it to his room before he passed out.

Lance could see the start of the Paladins hallway from where he was and honestly almost decided it was close enough and collapsing right there but the thought of Keith finding him drooling in the hallway and holding that over him for the foreseeable future made him dig just a little deeper for the energy to walk the remaining distance. He almost believed being blown up was less painful than this. He made it to the turn off for their sleeping quarters when a massive flash of light and a slight bang came from behind him, startling him. Before he could even think he had spun to face the threat, kneeling automatically and bayard formed into his trusty rifle, leveled at where the noise had come from.

Imagine his complete disbelief at coming face to face with a teenage boy, maybe around his age, lying seemingly unconscious, back to Lance. The boy was dressed in black clothing, what could be either combat or military boots, a gaudy red coat with a weird symbol on the back and a pair of white gloves. The kid had hair that Lance half-believed was literally gold, mind flashing straight to 'Tangled', before he realised it was just very blonde. He chalked it up to his exhaustion that he didn't fire immediately when the kid began to stir.

"What the actual fuck?" The kid groaned, slowly getting to his hands and knees before opening his eyes. Lance couldn't see them clearly since the boy was looking at the floor but he could imagine them as unfocused and glazed over. Lance didn't see anything to indicate when the kid was suddenly focused but he knew the moment his head had cleared. "Oh, that staticky bag of dicks better fucking hope it's immortal when I put my fucking fist through it's face." Lance could only thank the last few months of Paladin training for him not immediately giggling like an idiot. "That inconsiderate fucking bag of soggy - who the fuck are you?" The boy had finally noticed Lance kneeling there and Lance's grip actually faltered a literal when he stared into literal golden-eyes. He'd assumed the boy was human but he'd never come across of, or even heard of, a human with golden eyes.

"I should be asking you that since you're the one who literally dropped in from fucking nowhere." Lance retorted, gun following the kid as he stood up, a little wobbly, before managing to get himself steady and leveling Lance with a truly impressive stare.

"See, thing is, I asked you first. Where I come from, that means you have to answer my question first. It's this thing called 'manners'. And my brother thinks I have none." If Lance wasn't so certain this golden-haired boy wasn't some sort of alien come to fuck up his life even more, Lance figured they'd get along great. Suddenly, the boy's head cocked to the side, something Lance would later liken to Mimikyu, and he flinched back, gasping. "How'd you do that?" He demanded, eyes flashing dangerously at Lance. Lance was, understandably, confused.

"Do what?" He asked and the boy started to snarl an answer when he cocked his head again. He seemed to be listening to something and Lance was about to demand an answer when his eyes focused back on the Cuban.

"It's not you." He said, sounding frustrated. "Where the fuck are you? What the fuck is going on?" He demanded from someone and Lance actually had to look around to make sure they were alone. The boy scowled and threw his hands up and Lance gripped his gun tighter. "Why the fuck is it so difficult to get a straight cut answer from anyone?!" He exclaimed. Movement behind the blonde caught Lance's eye. Keith looked just as surprised to see some random blonde in their hallway as Lance was which Lance counted as a win because he honest to god was starting to believe he was hallucinating and/or having a really vivid dream.

The golden-eyed boy noticed Keith as well, turning so both Paladins were in his sight, looking equally unimpressed and pissed off. Keith's bayard was in his hand and sword formed. The kid looked more intrigued about how the weapon appeared than nervous about said weapon being pointed at him. Keith locked eyes with Lance, silently asking what was going on and Lance couldn't do anything except shrug since he literally had no clue.

"Ugh, fine. Where are you?" The boy said, startling Keith and Lance both before he nodded decisively. "Give me a moment." Lance was about to ask who he was talking to when the kid knelt down, rapped his left hand against the floor, nodded at the noise and clapped. Keith and Lance flinched imperceptibly at the odd noise the clap made before the kid placed both hands on the floor in front of him. Lance had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the blue lightning that seemed to encircle the blonde. His jaw dropped when the floor caved underneath the blonde, who didn't so much as gasp as he fell through. Blue energy crackled again and the hole was no longer there.

"So, quick question." Lance said once he was able to speak again. Both he and Keith now stood where the hole and kid had been. Keith looked up at him, as shocked as Lance felt. "You saw that too, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." For once, Keith wasn't making a snide remark in response to that question. "We need to tell everyone." Keith declared, heading for the control room. Lance sighed. Looks like he wasn't getting any sleep anytime soon.

* * *

Edward wondered if murdering an immortal god-like thing was possible. As he transmuted and fixed more holes to fall through to get to where the voice said it was coming from, Ed found himself imaging various ways to actually accomplish it. He'd been having a great morning, a rare treat for any military member, a rarer treat for him. He'd slept well the night before and for longer than five hours. He didn't have to go in and see Mustang's ugly face until that afternoon. Alphonse wanted to spend the day reading, enjoying it even more now he could feel the book in his hands again. Gracia and Elysia were at work and school, respectively, so they had the whole house to themselves. Ed had gone into the kitchen to get them some food, something he would never begrudge Al for asking for, when he was fucking zapped face-first into a fucking floor. Not only did that hurt but then the first thing he was greeted with when his head cleared was a fucking gun. Why the fuck was it always a gun pointed at him? At least the second dude had a sword. Way cooler.

But, back to the point. He'd figured this was Truth's doing the moment he'd woken up because a) who else could do that and b) who else could do that and took immense pleasure in fucking around in his life? Answer: Truth. Ed slammed feet first onto another the floor and the voice told him he only had one more to go. He paid no attention to the large man with the orange sweatband as he repeated the transmutation for the last time. Finally where he needed to be, the first thing he noticed was his alchemic energy wasn't depleted even the tiniest bit. That surprised him somewhat considering the last two times he went dimension-hopping. He felt the familiar pang of longing and curiosity he always felt when he thought of his friends on Earth. But that surprise was overshadowed when he looked around and came face to face with a massive, black, mechanical Lion with glowing yellow eyes.

_"Hello, little alchemist."_  The voice purred in his mind and Ed pointed an accusing finger at the black Lion.

"You! You're the one who's been in my head!" He exclaimed and felt the Lions chuckle.

_"Yes. I was curious when I felt your presence on our ship. You're certainly not from around here and when I sensed your alchemic prowess, I had to see if you could hear me."_  She, because the voice was definitely a 'she', told him and Ed scowled.

"And you couldn't have just said you were a monstrously big, mechanical lion when I asked? You had to be all 'find me and you'll find the answers you seek' mystical shit?" He asked and the Lion's amusement only became more pronounced.

_"I'll admit, little alchemist, that I was a bit bored and I found your annoyance amusing."_  Her voice was regal and calming, almost like Miss Riza's, and Ed huffed, both at the comparison and comment.

"Whatever. I'm assuming the massive alchemic energy I can feel is coming from you?" He asked, now that the important question was out the way. He felt it growing stronger with each floor he'd fallen through. He felt the Lion hum.

_"Well, yes and no. Technically what you're feeling is my quintessence, my life force if you will, however I was also created with alchemy so you are probably sensing that as well. But I think you'll find that the reason your alchemic energy hasn't depleted any is because you can manipulate quintessence as alchemic energy and -"_ She was cut off abruptly by Ed.

"You mean I'm stealing your life force to power my transmutations?!" He exclaimed, disgust roiling in his gut.

_"No, please don't panic, little alchemist. You're not taking any of my quintessence, or any quintessence of any living thing on this ship."_  She assured him, voice soothing and calm. Ed's breathing had been getting harsher as he drew closer to having a panic attack but her words and her gentle tone soon put a stop to that. When she sensed he was calm enough, she continued.  _"Quintessence is something that is all around us. It's like the air you squishy humans breathe. The only way you could take a living things quintessence is if they gave it to you."_  She told him and he felt relief wash through him so quickly, he almost felt faint.

"And you're a living thing?" He asked bluntly, not caring if he offended her. Her laugh seemed to indicate she wasn't.

_"I am sentient, thanks to the alchemy my creator used. I may not be flesh and blood but I do have feelings, my own thoughts, my own opinion. I am alive enough that I can manipulate my quintessence of my own free will. I promise, little alchemist. You will not be taking my quintessence or that of my sisters without our say so."_  She told him and he nodded, happy enough with the answer.

"Wait, did you say sisters?" He asked when that part sunk in. He felt her amusement and filed that away for another time but right now he wanted to know what she'd meant by 'sisters'.

_"Yes. I have four of them."_  She told him and seemed to contemplate something.  _"Would you like to meet them?"_  She asked and he nodded. Meet more machine creatures designed with alchemy like her? Sign him up. He stumbled a few feet back when she suddenly lowered her head and her jaw to create a ramp. He stared at her, gobsmacked. At her urging, he climbed up the ramp and found a cargo and sleeping area in front of him and a chair with a control panel behind him.  _"Please sit down and hold on."_  She said and he sat on a bench nearby, not willing to sit in the chair for some reason he himself couldn't explain. Once he'd sat, she lifted her head back up and they were moving.

Ed couldn't describe what he was feeling. He could tell they were moving far faster than any train he'd been on and with how she was built, he didn't think the Lion was walking. He looked out of her eyes and saw stars, literally. He was in space and he was flying. Ed wasn't sure his brain could take much more of this. He was in space, literal space, and he was flying in a big, mechanical Lion. She granted him a moment to really look at what was outside and he felt awed at the sight. Space was so... pretty. It wasn't just black nothingness with a few pinpricks of light. It was a multitude of colours; purples and blues and greens and oranges. He saw distant planets and when the Lion turned, he saw a massive, white and blue ship.

She flew them towards it and he could tell they landed in a different area on the ship. She lowered her head and ramp again and he climbed out. It took him a moment to feel himself absorb the multitude of sensory information he'd just gotten. Space was so different to what people in Amestris assumed it was. He'd known that Earth had achieved space flight and had been shown pictures their technology had captured by Reid and Garcia but none of that had prepared him for seeing it with his own two eyes and he just needed some time to process it. He could feel more presences around him but it took him a minute to actually.

"Wow. You weren't kidding about having sisters." He said as he took in the yellow, blue, green and red Lions standing around him. He realised something he had actually neglected to ask the black Lion. "Wait, what are your names?" He asked. Apparently Al's lectures about manners hadn't stuck all that well.

_"Well, our creator made it easy. We're named after our colours."_  Black, because that was her name apparently, told him.

"Was your creator perhaps a five-year-old?" He asked sarcastically. He felt the amusement of four of the Lions but the red one huffed angrily.

_"Our creator was a brilliant man. King Alfor didn't name us after our colours. We each have a special name that, when used with alchemy, unlocks something. With King Alfor dead and his daughter unable to use her alchemy properly, our names no longer matter. Our colours were our nicknames. Now, they are our only names."_  Red's voice was passionate and fierce, starting out as a growl but ending on a sour note and reminding him a little of Winry and Olivier Armstrong. Ed could feel the grief roll through the other Lions. Whoever this King was, he was well loved among them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." He apologised, sincerity shining in his words. "My name is Edward Elric. I'm an alchemist from a country called Amestris." He introduced himself.

_"Why are you here, young alchemist?"_  The voice seemed to come from Green, the second smallest of the Lions. She sounded young and curious. She reminded him of Elysia a little and of Al when he was younger.

"I'd actually like to know that for myself." He told her. "See, I'm pretty sure Truth kidnapped me and put me here but until that slimy dick shows it's non-existent face, I won't know." He told them all.

_"Truth?"_  Yellow was the one to ask. Her voice rumbled, making him think of a female Sig. He went to explain when he heard a whooshing noise coming from behind him. Turning to look, he saw five people wearing white armour with a colour that corresponded to one of the Lions, a brown-skinned, white-haired lady with coloured markings on her cheeks and a fierce expression on her face and orange-haired man with the similar markings and a less effective expression on his face. The five in the armour all had weapons and Ed recognised the blue and red weapons. One of the five had a glowing purple arm which Ed found to be the strangest thing there.

"Who are you, how did you get here and what do you want with our Lions?" The black and white armoured person demanded. Ed took a few steps closer to Black, putting more space between him and them in case this came down to a fight.

* * *

Shiro had, for a few seconds after Lance and Keith had told him what happened, really thought the two of them were playing some sort of practical joke. Allura hadn't and when he studied their faces, Shiro had come to the conclusion they weren't which meant Keith had been sent to find Pidge and Lance was finding Hunk. Coran had scanned the Castle-Ship to find them and give their positions to the two boys. Allura was scanning the Castle for any foreign signatures and found one that kept disappearing and reappearing a floor below.

"He's heading for the Black Lion hangar!" Allura had gasped when they realised his descent wasn't stopping. Shiro cursed as Keith and Pidge ran into the control room.

"He's after Black. Get into your uniforms and I'll find Lance and Hunk. Meet us outside of Black's hangar. Do not go in until we are all there. Understood?" He ordered, looking at Keith who nodded before the two of them took off. Shiro headed for Lance and Hunk. He ran into the two boys halfway there.

"He's heading for Black." Lance gasped out. "Hunk saw him go through the floor above her." He said and Shiro nodded.

"I know. We need to get into our uniforms in case we have to pilot the Lions. Let's go." The three of them ran together to the uniform room. The red and green uniforms and helmets were already gone and they hurriedly got into theirs. They'd barely placed their helmets on and left the room when Allura came on over the comm links.

"He's in Black!" She exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Shiro demanded. "How the hell did he get in?"

"She permitted him entrance and they headed out of the hangar. The other Lions are leaving their hangars as well." She told them and a chorus of 'what?!' came over the line from the four other pilots. "All of the Lions are redirecting to the main hangar bay." Allura told them and Shiro was relieved and confused.

"Why would he go to the effort of stealing our Lions only to have them go to the main hangar?" Lance asked and Shiro shook his head.

"Allura, Coran, meet us there. Keith, Pidge, redirect to the main Lion hangar." Shiro ordered and led the Blue and Yellow Paladins down to meet with the rest of them. Keith and Pidge were already there, weapons ready. Lance and Hunk readied their own bayard and Shiro armed his Galran prosthetic. Allura and Coran joined them only moments later. "Listen, we don't know who or what he is so be on guard. Do not engage unless he attacks first. He could have taken Black but he didn't and I don't know why or why the other Lions are here. Answers first then we go from there. Got it?"

"Got it." The team chorused back, though Keith did so a little reluctantly. Shiro hit the panel to open the hangar and they move in. The Lions were almost in a circle. Yellow and Blue left enough space between them for another Lion. Shiro took all of this in before he found the intruder standing underneath Black. Lance and Keith's descriptions were accurate. Shiro and the team stopped when they were standing level with Yellow and Blue. The boy's golden eyes narrowed suspiciously and he took a few steps backwards, nearly running into Black's paw. Shiro could see him taking them and their weapons in. Shiro took a step forward and the blonde's eyes snapped straight to him, watching his every move.

"Who are you, how did you get here and what do you want with our Lions?" Shiro demanded, the purple of his prosthetic flashing slightly. The blonde's eyes flicked to it before back up to Shiro's face. He didn't say anything, just turned to look up at Black as though she was saying something.

Suddenly, his whole vision went white. He heard gasps from behind him and swung around to see his team standing there, looking around them. On his left there was a set of massive doors and he instinctively stepped towards them.

"Don't touch them!" A new voice ordered and Shiro and the team all turned towards the blonde, who was standing away from them, eyes on Shiro. His team came to stand up behind him.

"Why should he listen to you?" Keith demanded and the blonde's eyes slid to him.

"Maybe because I'm the only one who knows what's going on here?" He spat and Keith growled. The blonde was now no longer paying attention to him, eyes searching for something. Keith bristled at being ignored like that and Shiro had to put a restraining hand on his shoulder so he didn't try to attack.

"Our bayards are gone!" Lance cried out suddenly and Shiro actually looked. Sure enough, their weapons had disappeared and they all tried summoning them back but had no luck.

"I don't like weapons in here. There's no need for them, after all." A voice that was neither male nor female and that seemed to echo and whisper and shout all at the same time had them spinning to face the speaker. "What's the matter, Paladins and Alteans? Never seen something like me before?" The voice cajouled and Shiro had to wonder if he was going insane. The voice didn't have a distinctive form other than it being humanoid. It had no face except a mouth but oddly enough, it had a human right arm and half a left leg. It grinned at them and Shiro felt a chill run down his spine.

"Truth." They'd forgotten about the blonde until he'd growled that word, glaring daggers at the figure in front of them, who gave him a mockery of a friendly grin.

"Ah, young alchemist." Shiro heard Allura gasp a little. "Did you miss me?" 


	2. Chapter 2

"Truth." Edward spat as the being appeared in front of them. He suppressed the shudder he felt when it gave him it's version of a welcoming smile.

"Ah, young alchemist." It said. "Did you miss me?" It asked and Ed couldn't stop himself. He launched at the formless bastard and threw a punch. It didn't connect as Truth vanished a reappeared behind him.

"Stay still, you dickless prick." Ed snarled as he went to hit him again but Truth teleported once more.

"Now, now, Edward." Truth tsked. "You know that will accomplish nothing. I am immortal, remember?" It chided, disappearing and reappearing when Ed tried again.

"Yeah? Let's test that theory." Ed snapped, ready to try again but Truth shook its head.

"Would you rather I have you and Alphonse trade places? I'm sure your little brother would be much easier to talk to. We did spend so much time together, remember?" Truth grinned as Ed froze and the heated glare was replaced with icy hate.

"Don't you dare go near my brother." Ed hissed and Truth tilted its head.

"Then stop your foolish behaviour and listen to me." Truth said. Ed growled but he didn't make another move though his muscles were absolutely rigid with tension. "Very good." It praised him like he was a dog or a small child and Ed growled.

"What do you want? It had better be a fucking phenomenal reason for you to have taken me." Ed snapped, crossing his arms and leveling Truth with a glare. Truth just gave him a lazy smile.

"It's very simple, Edward. I'd like you to help them." Truth said, gesturing to the seven people who had simply watched the fight and exchange, not able or willing to do anything to intervene.

"Why the actual fuck would I do that?" He asked, raising a brow unimpressed.

"Because they have a war to win and if you don't help, thousands more lives will be lost unnecessarily and that's if they win the war. Of course, they could lose it still and this whole universe would be destroyed." Truth told him, uncaring either way.

"We won't lose." The Red Paladin snapped, stepping forward before the Black Paladin stopped him.

"Maybe. But if Edward here agreed to help you, the odds of you winning sooner almost triples." Truth told them and Edward could see the shock ripple through them. He turned back to Truth.

"And?" Edward asked. He heard them all gasp from behind him. He felt bad they were in a war but it wasn't his fight and he had no reason to risk his life helping them. Not when he hadn't even had Al back a year.

"Don't you care? You could help us save thousands of lives! You could help us get home sooner! You could help us win this war!" The Blue Paladin yelled at him, the Yellow one wrapping an arm around his chest to hold him back.

"I've already won my war!" Ed snapped back at him, whirling around, eyes blazing. "I already fought and won my war! I've risked my life enough so that my country didn't die, so I could get my little brother back, so that something worse than this thing," he pointed at Truth, "didn't take over my world! Why should I risk my life again, for a war that has absolutely nothing to do with me or my country?!" He asked them, eyes furious and they all nearly stumbled back from the amount of emotion coming from the kid. Edward turned back to Truth. "Tell me why I should help them. Don't try and use my humanity or whatever. Give me a proper reason." Ed demanded.

"The aliens they're fighting have a witch on their side. She's actually an alchemist but her powers have grown far stronger than even I realised. She no longer needs her circles for most transmutations. She's been looking for two things. A dimension pocket that is nothing but quintessence for her to drain and use and for a way to travel into other dimensions. If she succeeds in either goal, she will end up in your world." Truth told him, for once being honest and serious. "She will destroy it. Not just Amestris but the whole world."

"So let me go home and I can make the military prepare for it." Ed said. "I don't owe you any more favours and I'm still not hearing a reason why I need to be in this dimension when I could prepare for this with everyone at home." For some reason the others couldn't understand, Truth looked pleased with what he said.

"You're learning, young alchemist." He praised.

"Funny how getting fucked over by you numerous times has that affect." Ed deadpanned. He looked at the seven people still standing to the side and sighed. He knew he couldn't not help them. His stupid conscience wouldn't let him. He sure as shit wasn't doing this for free though. He faced Truth again. "Fine. You want me help them by defeating this witch? You and I are gonna have to make a deal. Equivalent exchange." Ed said and he felt the others surprise but didn't take his eyes off of Truth, who was now grinning.

"Name your terms." It said.

"You protect my automail, like you did when you actually cashed in your favour. It doesn't get damaged or broken in any way." Ed said and Truth nodded. "You tell Mustang or Al where I am." Truth considered then nodded. "You upgrade my alchemy so I don't need to clap. It won't take you much. I already got some of that knowledge on the last trip and you don't take it back." Truth took a little longer to decide but it eventually nodded.

"Is that all?" It asked and Ed rolled his eyes. Truth already knew the answer.

"One more thing." He said and Truth gestured for him to continue. "If I die, you take my body back to Amestris and you do not permit Al or anyone to try and bring me back." He said and Truth grinned.

"We have a deal, young alchemist. Good luck." It cackled before they all found themselves back in the main Lion hangar, bayards at the ready.

* * *

 

Ed wobbled and went down on one knee as he analysed the knowledge Truth granted him. Now that he had it, he could see how obvious the information was. He could figure out things he hadn't been able to before, at speeds he couldn't before. He felt the Lions around him a little more and could feel what King Alfor had hidden in them. He felt Black's warning just as a hand touched his shoulder. He ran his left hand over his right arm as he spun onto his feet, automail blade forming and knocked the hand off his shoulder, stopping with the blade against the side of the neck of the Black Paladin he was now face to face with.

"Don't touch me." He warned him, blade just touching his skin. He could see in his peripheral vision the Blue Paladin aiming his rifle at him while the Red and Green ones looked ready to move if he so much as twitched wrong. The Black Paladin had his right hand wrapped around his wrist and Ed saw it light up purple again. He was little alarmed when his jacket sleeves started smoking and melting away from the intense heat the arm was apparently emitting. He guessed this was a good way to see if Truth was holding up its end of the deal. "You done?" He asked in the most bored tone he could muster. The Black Paladin stared at him in disbelief before removing his hand and the purple glow disappeared.

"What are you?" He asked and Ed frowned.

"Well that's a little rude." He said before tilting his head a little. "If I take the blade away, you gonna do anything?" He asked.

"No." He said and Ed narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling this Paladin wouldn't be able to lie to save his life. Black's amusement merely proved he was right. Ed moved the blade and the man stumbled back a few feet. He kept his blade drawn as he watched the Paladin head back to the team, only to have them meet him halfway. He watched as the Black Paladin spoke to his team, gestures reassuring at first before calming and finally, decisive. They seemed to come to some sort of agreement, despite the scowl on the black-haired boys face, and the white-haired woman approached Ed. She stopped out of reach and the other six stopped just behind her. The orange-haired man was looking at Ed in a way the blonde thought was supposed to be threatening but was kinda missing the mark.

"I am Princess Allura of the lost planet, Altea. I apologise for the behaviour of my team and I welcome you aboard our ship." Her voice reminded her of a posher version of Doctor Mallard, a man he'd met last time he'd wound up in another dimension. "I would appreciate it if you would join us in our common room so we may discuss everything." She asked and Ed raised a brow, silently asking why. She seemed to have realised. "We will be much more comfortable there as this discussion might take a while." She said and Ed sighed.

 _"You can trust them. They'll not harm you without provocation."_  Blue was the one to speak, her voice soothing, like the sound of a calm ocean or his mother's voice when she calmed him after a bad day.

"If you're wrong, imma be mad." He warned her and felt her chuckle before turning to the princess, whose brows had raised in surprise. "We going?" He asked, running his hand over his blade and causing it to transmute back, and she nodded, face going back to polite neutrality.

"Yes, let's go." She said, more to the others than to the blonde. They seemed reluctant but Allura paid no mind to them, walking straight passed them, heading for the common room. They quickly followed, the orange-haired man sticking close to the princess. The Blue and Yellow Paladins only followed once Ed had passed them, bringing up the rear. The Red Paladin kept looking back at him but Ed paid him no mind; he was too busy memorising this route.

They finally turned into a large room, bigger than both of Mustang's offices, and the Paladins arranged themselves in the room so Ed had to be away from the door to face them. Allura sat on one of the only single chairs with the orange-haired man standing behind her. The rest of the team sat on the massive couch, except for the Red one, who stood next to the end of it. Ed stayed standing as well, leaning on the side of another single chair, facing everyone and the door. No one said anything to start with.

"Let's start with introductions, huh?" The Black Paladin suggested. "You've already met Princess Allura and standing next to her is Coran, her adviser. They're the two last surviving members of the Altean race." Ed dipped his head slightly to them in greeting. "I'm Takashi Shirogane, the Black Paladin. You can call me Shiro. Keith is the Red Paladin, standing over there. Lance is our Blue Paladin. Pidge is next to him. She's the Green Paladin and Hunk is the Yellow Paladin." He gestured to each of them in turn. Shiro looked at Ed expectantly.

"Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist." He said stiffly. He heard Allura mumble something to Coran while the Paladins seemed to be side-eyeing the princess, with the exception of Keith and Shiro, both of whom were looking at Edward.

"Are you really an alchemist?" Allura's voice made all of them look at her. She was looking at Ed hopefully.

"Yes." He had considered a sarcastic response but figured now probably wasn't the best time. "Why?" He asked cautiously.

"My father was an alchemist and I am as well, though not nearly as powerful as he was." She explained. Something clicked for Ed.

"You're King Alfor's daughter, huh? Red mentioned something about that." He asked casually. He heard a scoff coming from the other side of him and looked over to see Shiro looking reprimandingly at Keith. "What?" He asked, feeling his temper flare slightly.

"Red told you?" He asked, obviously not believing Ed.

"Yes." He dismissed Keith with a flick of his hand. "I couldn't give two fucks whether you believe me or not." He told him before Keith could say whatever he was planning on saying. He saw the Red and Blue Paladin bristle at his words. The Blue Paladin, Lance, had been doing a good job at pretending not to care about Ed either way but Ed could tell he was still pissed about Ed not wanting to help them in the first place.

"The Lions talk to you?" Pidge asked and Ed looked at her.

"Yeah." He said. "How do you think I knew the way down to where Black was?" He asked her.

"Honestly, I figured you either knew the ship, which was improbable, or you had a super-accurate tracker. Or it was just dumb luck." She told him and Ed impressed she actually had an answer.

"You probably want to know more about the war and everything else." Shiro interrupted them and Ed looked at him before nodding. "Allura would probably be the best one to tell you." He said, looking at the princess pointedly.

"Yes, well, 10, 000 years ago, my father built the five Lions. He and four of his closest friends piloted them and when the universe was in danger, they protected it. If the threat was too big for them to handle individually, they brought the Lions together and formed a large robot called 'Voltron'. The bond between the five pilots had to be strong since they had to trust and rely on each other for Voltron to work. My father piloted Red and his best friend, the Galran emperor, Zarkon, piloted Black." She explained and Ed nodded. "A few years after the Lions were built, Zarkon became obsessed with Quintessence. I don't know why but he turned on my father and the rest of the Paladins. He killed the Green, Yellow and Blue Paladins and my father hid the Lions from him. He trapped Black in this castle in way that she wouldn't come out unless her Paladin, the other four Lions and their pilots were present in the ship. Zarkon stole Red and destroyed Altea, along with her people and her King. Before he was killed, my father trapped myself and Coran in a stasis pod each and sent the ship to the farthest planet he could think of. We awoke a few months ago when these five found the Blue Lion on their home planet and she recognised Lance as her Paladin and brought them here." She finished explaining and Ed looked really angry.

"So this war has been going for 10,000 years? That's what you're telling me?" He asked and Allura nodded. "10,000 years and no one has been able to figure out a way to end it?" Allura recognised his anger.

"No. The Galran are too strong and Zarkon is too powerful, especially with that witch at his side." She told him and Ed felt his mind reel a little.

"Zarkon is still alive after 10,000 years?" Allura nodded. "Bullshit. How fucking long do these Golron things live for?" He asked.

"Galran and much shorter than 10,000 years, I assure you." The orange Altean, Coran, told him.

"Whatever. How the fuck is he still alive after 10,000 years?" Ed asked and Coran and Allura shook their heads.

"We don't know. We're assuming he's using the quintessence the witch has been draining from planets to sustain his life-force." Allura told him and he groaned.

"Fan-fucking-tastic. You got an old as fuck alien with a take-over-the-world complex on steroids with a life-force stealing witch at his beck-and-call and somehow I gotta help you lot deal with this." Ed summed up. "Why is this my life?!" He exclaimed, glaring at nothing in particular. He felt like stabbing the couch but he'd probably get shot by the Blue Paladin, whose rifle had materialised again at his outburst. He settled for punching it, tearing a hole right through the material with automail. After a couple of seconds of deep breathing, he pulled his hand out and ran it over the hole, seamlessly mending it. He felt better now.

"You alright?" The Yellow Paladin, Hunk, asked him and he sounded so genuine and concerned. Ed felt kinda bad for not liking him.

"Good now." He said. "So what's the witch's deal? She's the one that dickbag mentioned I'd have to deal with." Ed asked, scowling at the memory of Truth.

"Haggar. She's... vicious is too kind a word but it's the best I can come up with." Allura said, face turning dark at the mention of her. Ed didn't miss the way Shiro tensed up and clutched his right arm subconsciously. "She's loyal only to Zarkon for reasons only she knows. She is powerful and she has no conscience. She will destroy everything and everyone in Zarkon's path and she'll laugh doing it. If she doesn't kill you, she captures you, tortures you and experiments on you. If you are of no use to her after she's grown bored of you, she kills you and moves on to her next project. She takes pleasure in creating as much misery and pain as she can and the only thing that can stop her is Zarkon himself. She has her own minions, druids, who answer to her and Zarkon. They are powerful but nowhere near her level." Allura finished explaining to him and he nodded before looking at Shiro.

"You were one of the ones she experimented on." He didn't ask, merely stated, but Shiro nodded.

"Yes. She had me for over a year. I don't remember much of it but I escaped somehow and the next thing I knew, the pod I was in crashed back on Earth and I had this." He raised his prosthetic. "The Garrison found me and had me strapped down as they tried to figure out what was going on. Somehow, Keith and these three found me and rescued me from the Garrison. Then, like Allura said, we found the Blue Lion and she opened up for Lance." He gave the Blue Paladin a proud smile. Lance flushed a little but kept his eyes on Ed.

"Why are you asking?" Lance asked suspiciously. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Because I obviously don't want to send the one dude here who personally suffered at the hands of this witch to fight her. No offence dude but you probably got PTSD like no tomorrow and I'm not risking me being killed because of that." Ed told him, a little apologetic. Shiro frowned.

"I'm not sitting out of a fight if they're in danger." He said adamantly.

"And like you actually care." Lance sneered. Shiro went to reprimand him but Ed stopped him. "You certainly didn't when that thing asked you to help the first time." He said, defensively.

"True but let me ask you this; why are you fighting in this war? And don't give me the 'to save the universe' or the 'it's the right thing to do' generic bullshit. Why are  _you_  fighting in this war?" He asked and Lance looked a little taken aback.

"To stop the Galran from reaching Earth. So my family stays safe. What's it to you?" He asked but Ed ignored him for the moment.

"I'm assuming it's a similar answer for you lot," he gestured to the other Paladins, "and that you two are doing this mainly to get some justice for your planet?" He asked and they nodded.

"More or less." Shiro said. Ed nodded.

"I thought so. So understand this," he looked at Lance, "I've got no personal reason to be involved in this war. Not one reason. My family isn't at risk. Fuck; my dimension is barely at risk." He said and Lance frowned.

"But that thing said you'll save thousands of lives by helping! That Haggar would find your dimension eventually." Lance reminded him. Ed shrugged.

"Maybe saving those lives is irrelevant. My actions in this war might save those who were going to die and they might kill those who were going to live." Ed pointed out coolly. "As for Haggar coming to my world? A possibility, not an inevitability. Even if she did manage it, we'd have stopped her." Ed sounded rather confident.

"How can you be so sure your planet would survive someone trying to destroy it when hundreds of others have perished?" Allura asked.

"Because we've gone up against something we shouldn't have stood a chance against and came out on top." Ed answered simply. "Because I am one of the single best alchemists my world has ever seen and the few people who would stand a chance against me are people who would have my back and I, theirs." He said with absolute certainty. "I am here now because I have made an agreement with Truth. Yes, the reason I even considered making that agreement in the first place was also selfish, before you ask." He looked at Lance who'd opened his mouth. "I made it so that I could stop the slim possibility of Haggar making it my world and forcing my little brother to fight another war." The absolution in his voice made it so no one could doubt his words. "So you're absolutely right. Right now, I don't care about any of you because I don't know any of you and I can tell none of you care about me. The only reason you'd try and keep me alive if we were attacked right now is because I'm helping you against Haggar and I'm not gonna lie; if our roles were reversed, I'd be the same. I don't care about this war other than the fact that me stopping Haggar means I get to go home." He told them bluntly. He didn't care if they thought he was a horrible person because of this. He'd been back from his last dimension travel for only a month before this.

"You've mentioned a war a couple of times now. Would you tell us about it?" Shiro asked, breaking the silence, and Ed looked at him, contemplated whether they needed to know about it and sighed when he decided they probably did.

"Fine. Just no talking until I'm done talking. This is gonna be long and potentially confusing." He said, causing Keith and Lance to scowl at him but the others nodded. "Around 400 years ago, a being known as Dwarf in a Flask, a homunculous without a body, manipulated an alchemist of a country called Xerxes into tricking the King into creating an array that encircled the whole country. This King thought the array would grant him immortality at the cost of his own people. This being instead used the array to make itself a body and give the alchemist and itself a Philosopher's Stone connected to their life force, essentially making them both immortal. By doing so he wiped out every last Xerxian, including the King, with the only survivor being the alchemist who had unwittingly helped him. This homunculous then told the Xerxian to never look for him and they went their separate ways. Throughout the years, this homunculi, who called himself 'Father' destroyed towns so he could make more homunculi, or his 'children' as he called them. He created seven in total; Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Wrath and Gluttony. Wrath was the youngest. He was human to start with, unlike the others, but they injected him and dozens of other children with liquid stones and he was the only one to survive." Pidge couldn't help herself.

"So these Philosopher's Stones are made by sacrificing people?" She asked, horrified. Ed glared at her.

"Yes. The more people you kill, the stronger the stone. Now shush." He reprimanded before continuing. "These stones and resulting homunculi were made from towns filled of people and animals. Each town was written in the history books as having been destroyed by a plague or natural disaster or civil war but they weren't. No one made the connection for decades." He sounded sad. "Father also needed to destroy five towns or civilisations and use the blood of any living creature there to fuel his country-wide array. That was his end game. He had one of his children, Sloth, build underground tunnels that connected up to each other to make a country-wide array like the one he used to destroy Xerxes. The fourth point on the array to be bled was a small civilisation called 'Ishval'. Wrath was made Fuhrer of our country and leader of our military by then and had one of his siblings, Envy, a shapeshifter, shift to look like an Amestrian soldier and shoot an innocent Ishvalen child. This act started a civil war between our two countries and when the military implemented a State Alchemist program, those who passed the exam became State Alchemists and were ordered to fight on the front lines. The Ishvalens never stood a chance. I was four when the war finally ended there." Ed told them.

"I thought you said you fought in a war?" Keith asked and Shiro shushed him.

"I thought I said no interruptions." Ed snapped back. Keith looked disgruntled but stayed quiet. "Fast forward five years. My brother and I had just lost our mother and our father had run out on us years ago. We spent two years in another town being taught alchemy, fighting and survival skills by a woman who'd passed through our town and saved part of it from flooding during a storm with her alchemy. We spent the money our mother had left us to pay her to teach us. When we came home we..." Ed trailed off, eyes filled with grief before hardening. "You don't need to know what we did. I got hurt and I nearly killed my brother doing it though. I made a sacrifice and brought my brother's soul back and bonded it to a suit of armour. A couple of weeks later, this total dick of a State Alchemist came by, yelled at me for what I did and offered me a job so I could get my brother his body back. So I got myself a couple of automail limbs, healed up and a year later, I was a fully certified State Alchemist, working under the dickwad who found me. After a couple of years doing the military's bidding and causing as much damage as possible so they had to pay for it as a 'fuck you' to being told what to do, I found what I needed; the information to make a Philosopher's Stone. My brother and I spent days trying to decode and when we did, I nearly destroyed the building we were in. We'd spent all that fucking time looking for the stone only to find out how it was made and we refused to use it. So we decided to get some more answers because what if there was another way to make it? Turns out no but we did find out homunculi were a thing. Also that fighting them when you're exhausted and barely finished winning the fight against a pair of serial-killer soul-bonded suits of armour you just had was a bad idea." He ignored the questioning noises he could hear and continued.

"I was hospitalised for a couple of weeks and I told my boss and two military soldiers who I trusted with my life what really happened. One of those men was my boss's best friend and the annoying older brother/uncle I never wanted. He found something while looking for the homunculi who hurt me. He was killed before he could tell us." The grief was always there, ready to come forth anytime he thought of Hughes, just like it did right now. He felt his eyes water slightly but he blinked the tears away before they could really form. "We didn't know until a few months later. He'd figured out about the towns that had been bled and how they formed a circle around Amestris. I put that together with an array I'd found in a place I am so glad I'll never have to see again and realised what it meant. When the array was complete and an eclipse happened, Father planned to sacrifice the whole country in order to absorb Truth and become all powerful. We only had a couple of months to prepare. Somehow we managed. My brother, our father, my boss, our teacher and myself were used as sacrifices, forced to open our Gates, the same as the ones you saw with Truth, so they could open the Earth's gate." He paused for breath before continuing again.

"When Father activated the array to absorb the souls of everyone, an array my father had set earlier activated, reversing the soul-absorbing array and bringing everyone back to life. This meant that Truth was set free again, which sometimes I think was a bad idea but whatever, and Father was now just a regular old homunculous. A very pissed off, regular homunculous though. He went crazy, tried to kill everyone the old-fashioned way -without alchemy - and destroyed my right arm. My brother, the self-sacrificing moron, had a little Xingese Princess who used alkahestery reverse the seal on his armour, giving up his soul so I'd get my arm back. Which I did and then I beat the ever-living fuck out of Father and, with some friends help, he died. I used a forbidden transmutation, made a deal with Truth, got my brother back - soul and body - and spent the next two weeks wondering if he was going to make it while he was in a coma. Then he woke up and I spent two hours yelling at him for being an idiot. All of this happened just under seven months ago. Our country had barely started rebuilding itself from the war when I was first sent to another dimension. The Ishvalen survivors have only started building on their own land again in the last few months. My brother came out of hospital two months ago and has only been cleared to go on missions for a month. The day after he was cleared for missions, I was kidnapped and taken to another dimension again. Do you understand now why I didn't want any part of this war? Why I don't want to be here?" He asked, now tired from talking so much. He sincerely hoped this was the last time he'd have to go through this shit because he ended up in another dimension with new people.

"So you joined the military when you were 12 and ended up saving the world by punching a wanna-be god in the face when you were, what, 16?" Keith asked, barely able to believe anything the kid had just said.

"17 but yeah. That about covers it." Ed told them.

"What's automail?" Pidge asked. That was the only part she didn't get. The rest of it she could believe because, let's be real, she flew a giant, green, space Lion ship and had spent ten minutes in the presence of Truth. What Ed said was pretty believable in her books.

"My world's answer to prosthesis." Ed said, waving his right hand, metal glinting in the light. "My right arm, up to the shoulder, and half of my left leg is automail." He told her. She got a dangerous look in her eye, as did the the Yellow Paladin, when they saw the metal.

"Can we-" They went to ask and Ed instantly vetoed their request.

"No. You're not looking at it or taking it apart." He told them. "I don't care. No." He said sternly when they went to protest. Lance stopped any further discussion by standing up.

"Nope, this is too much weird for me and I am too tired. Imma deal with this shit after a solid eight vargas." He declared, walking to the door. "This Paladin is Palad-out. Night, y'all." He said before disappearing around the corner. Ed snickered because he was a sucker for puns, which Al hated but DiNozzo and Garcia had both loved.

"I am sorry, Paladins. I forgot how tired you all must have been." Allura said, immediately standing and looking appropriately upset. "Please head off to your quarters and get some sleep. I'll find a room for Edward and we can all continue this discussion in the morning." She ordered gently. Hunk and Pidge headed off straight away, glancing back at Ed and his automail as they did. Keith only moved when nudged by Shiro. He glared a warning at Edward before leaving. Ed didn't care.

"I'm sorry for their behaviour." Shiro said, surprising Ed. "Lance shouldn't have made that comment and Keith-" Ed held up his hand.

"Shiro? I don't care. If they want to question my motives and glare at me, they're welcome to. I've had worse." He told him, making the older man look sad for some reason.

"Let's find you a room, hm?" Allura interrupted and Ed nodded. It didn't take long for Coran to locate a room that was clean and not in use. He was shown where everything was and directions were given to the other Paladins rooms and the kitchen. "There'll be an alarm that will sound to wake us up. We'll meet in the kitchen before breakfast before we continue talking. Please, don't hesitate to find someone if you need something." Allura said and Ed nodded.

"Thank you, Princess Allura. I do appreciate this." He said sincerely. She beamed at him.

"It's no problem at all. We look after our allies." She assured him and the two Alteans left, leaving Shiro and Ed in the room by themselves.

"I'm a couple of doors down if you need something. I wouldn't knock on Keith or Lance's doors tonight. Keith likes throwing knives at intruders and Lance won't answer because he'll be sleeping very well after the last couple of days." Shiro said.

"No worries. I'll keep that in mind." Ed said and Shiro nodded before leaving himself. Ed headed straight for the bathroom and had a shower, changing into the most ridiculously soft pj's he'd ever tried on. He looked at the bed, contemplated it for a minute, before realising he wasn't getting any sleep. He explored his quarters instead, not that there was much there, but he wanted to kill time before he made his escape from his room. After wasting a couple of hours, he peeked his head out of the door and saw no one. He headed out and down the path he'd memorised earlier. He missed someone hearing his door open and catching him leaving just as he turned the corner. He was a man on a mission and he had some Lions to talk too.


	3. Chapter 3

Ed made it down to the main hangar bay and was happy to find all five Lions still in there. He hadn't been looking forward to visiting all five of them in their own hangars. As nice as Allura had been to him, he didn't think she'd be as nice if she found out he'd put more holes in her castle, even if he did fix them straight away.

 _"Hello again, young alchemist."_  Black purred in his mind as soon as the doors opened to permit him. Ed grinned and headed straight for Black, not noticing his shadow slipping through the doors before they closed.

"Hey, guys. So I know Red already told me about your secret names unlocking something but do you guys know what?" Ed asked and felt the Lions pause. Apparently that was something they hadn't expected him to ask at all.

 _"Actually, no. I know King Alfor was trying to figure out a surprise for us but he couldn't get the array right. He refused to tell us what he was doing; always said he didn't want to ruin the surprise. He just told us our names were crucial."_ Blue told him and Ed looked unsurprised.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know why." Ed told them. "Truth gave me more knowledge and I saw the array that Alfor used to make you and I saw the array he was working on. I also think I know how to make it work." He told them and he felt their surprise and cautious excitement.

 _"How could you know when Alfor didn't?"_  Red asked, voice suspicious. Ed figured that was pretty fair. Just judging from Red's behaviour, Alfor was well-loved and some people don't appreciate it when some stranger solves a problem a loved one spent years trying to solve with no luck.

"I told you; Truth showed me. I don't know why. No one knows why that arsehole does what it does. But yeah, I saw the unfinished array and I figured out why it wouldn't work. He was just missing some of the small symbols and a couple of ones he did have were wrong." Ed explained. "If he'd had access to the right materials or had the time to mess around a bit more, he would've figured it out. The arrays he came up with were genius." He told them, completely honestly. "I mean, I doubt I'd have been able to come up with something like them without the knowledge I got from Truth." He shrugged. He was very much in awe of this King for doing something as amazing as creating the Lions.

 _"Do you think you would be able to finish the array, if we told you our real names?"_  Green asked and Ed nodded.

"Yes, but I would need access to the array King Alfor drew in you and your names." He told them and felt apprehension flood through all of them, in varying degrees. They dampened the bond they had with him so they could discuss whether or not to let him near the array. It was, after all, their life force. One small mistake and they'd be killed. Ed was happy to wait for them to talk about it, getting as comfortable as possible on the floor. He figured this would be a very lengthy discussion.

* * *

 

Keith watched in the shadows, his eyes narrowed on the blonde. He couldn't quite hear what he'd said to the Lions but he felt the uneasiness and mistrust from Red when Ed first stepped through the door. Grief and hate had almost knocked Keith over when Ed had said something about Truth and Alfor but now those feelings had disappeared and he could feel Red's confusion about what she should feel grow stronger with each second.

* * *

 

Ed had taken a seat on the ground, idly looking at random things while the Lions all sat there. Red's feelings were still all over the place when Ed's attention snapped to Green.

 _"Could you show us what you intend to do?"_  The Green Lion asked and Ed frowned.

"I don't know?" He said hesitantly. "How would that work?" He asked and Green thought for a moment.

 _"If you closed your eyes and concentrated on the bond we have all forged with you and sent us images of what you would do, that should work."_  She told and Ed cocked his head, a little doubtful.

"Okay, we can give it a shot but," he grinned at them, "I'm not showing you what the array should succeed in doing. That would ruin King Alfor's surprise." He winked at them and they agreed to the condition, Red somewhat more reluctant than the others.

Ed shut his eyes and tried to feel for the bond Green said to do except he wasn't sure how to do that. Finally he figured it out and gasped as he felt everything the Lions did much more strongly than before as they worked together to open the bond up wider. Ed then concentrated on feeding them images of what he wanted to do, a task proven far harder than expected. At first the Lions never got the images but then they got them in bits and pieces and Ed was forced to play over the scenario a dozen times before they got all of the plan in order. They dampened the connection a little and Ed felt like he'd run a marathon when he opened his eyes. It didn't take the Lions long to decide.

 _"You may try and activate the array King Alfor couldn't. You can start with me."_  Blue offered and Ed nodded. She was, by far, the nicest Lion and seemed the one to try something potentially dangerous first just so nothing happened to the others.

"Thank you." Ed said, bowing to all of the Lions before looking at Blue. "Where is your array located?" He asked and as an answer, Blue made one of her panels on the top of her head open and Ed felt like face-palming. Of course the King would put the array in the head; it was practically the brain, just in a less fleshy, squishy sense.

* * *

 

Keith startled when a panel on Blue's head opened and Ed made his way towards her, pausing at her paw before tilting his head up and to the side to consider the size. Ed walked away and turned back when he'd put enough distance between them. He took off at a sprint before launching into the air and landing on Blue's paw, sliding a little into her leg. Blue lifted her paw up to her nose and Ed climbed on so she could lower her paw again. Keith watched as the blonde didn't even hesitate before scaling up Blue's face like a pro. He watched the kid climb up like a monkey and peer into the hole the panel had opened to reveal. The Red Paladin didn't even think when he saw the blonde scramble back too quickly and start sliding off of Blue and falling for the floor; he just ran straight for him.

* * *

 

Ed was glad to have an automail knee when he slid into Blue's leg knee first. At least it wouldn't bruise. He stayed kneeling when Blue lifted her paw up to reach her nose. The movement was smooth and similar to an elevator but much faster and Ed felt his stomach in his throat before she finished moving. He scrambled onto her muzzle with a 'thanks' and evaluated the rest of the climb. It looked far smoother than some of the surfaces Ed had climbed before but he noted several places that would be good hand and feet holds. He scaled her easily before grabbing the edge of the hole and peering in. The sight that greeted him was horrific. He saw the array, carved into the metal permanently but it was the sight of the blood splatter that made Ed scramble back in mind-numbing horror. He barely even realised he was falling until he hit something that let out an 'oomph' just before he'd have hit the ground.

After his and Al's first fight with Scar, they had gathered in Mustang's office to discuss everything and what the boys would be doing. It was also the only place they could take Al and Ed without curious or spying eyes prying into their business and asking awkward questions. Ed had been brought a clean set of clothes from his suitcase, courtesy of Fuery, and Mustang had given him his inner office to use so he could get dressed. Ed hadn't been able to help himself when he saw pictures from an open case on his CO's desk and he looked. He'd nearly thrown up when he'd realised the photo's were from the Tucker's crime scene. The only thing he was grateful about in that moment was that the picture he'd looked at had been one where Nina and her father's bodies were covered with blankets but the image of the blood, bone fragments and brain matter splattered everywhere had burned into his mind and have been a frequent part of his nightmares ever since. Seeing the blood in Blue had triggered that memory for him and now he was kneeling on his hands and knees, struggling to keep himself from hyperventilating while he tried to focus on the muffled voice above him.

* * *

 

Keith was freaking out. He wasn't good with the social side of things that seemed to come so naturally to the others, with the exception of the Alteans but they were literal aliens so they had an excuse, and he wasn't good with dealing with strangers. Right now he had someone he barely knew about to have a panic attack in front of him and all he could think was 'why the fuck didn't he wake Lance up to help follow Edward?' because he knew the Blue Paladin would be so much better at this. In the two seconds since Edward had fallen on him (he was certain he'd be bruised later because that kid was heavier than he looked) and managed to roll onto his hands and knees, breathing speeding up rapidly, Keith had to make a choice on whether he stayed to help or went to find someone better qualified. Red's firm mental push helped him make that decision.

"Hey, look, I know we don't know each other that well and I only have experience helping Shiro when I see him like this and he tries to hide it from us as best he can so I've only helped a couple of times so I don't know what I'm actually doing," Keith knew he was rambling but his voice seemed to be having some sort of effect on Edward, "but I'm gonna do my best. So, you're in the Castle-Ship. I'm Keith and we don't know each other well but we met a few hours ago when you literally dropped in from nowhere and scared the crap out of Lance. You were in the common room only a couple of hours ago telling us about your world, Amestris. You have a little brother, I think you said his name was Alphonse, and a best friend who scares you. Truth sent you here because it needed you to help us so Haggar didn't get more powerful than she is now. You tried to punch Truth out and you called it a few creative names I think Shiro nearly cried at." Ed's breathing was calming down a lot but it still wasn't in normal range yet so Keith kept babbling. "You met Lance first. He's an idiot but he's the best shooter on our team and sometimes he's funny but don't you ever tell him I said that. I don't know where our team would be without him because he's probably the only reason we haven't gone crazy yet. Then you met me before you started destroying our floors and fixing them again. Hunk said you scared the crap out of him when you fell through the floor he was on. We found you with Black and the others after Black and them moved into here and Truth transported us, I guess? When we got back, we went to the common room and you told us all about the Philosopher's Stones and your dimension. We ended stopping our talk because Lance walked out, dramatic as always, and now we're here instead of in bed like Allura said."

Keith was up to the part about the creative insults when Ed was able to put a name to the voice and he'd gotten to the part about the stones when Ed realised he'd successfully calmed down enough that he wasn't at risk of passing out now. He let out a shuddering sigh and collapsed against Blue's paw, scaring Keith with his sudden movements. He tipped his head back against Blue's paw and closed his eyes, fighting the nausea from the ordeal down and keeping his breathing controlled.

"Warn a guy next time, Blue." He scolded the Lion and felt her sorrow and her own grief before she apologised.

 _"I am so sorry, young one. I had hoped that the blood would have decayed after so long, that the fact I could still feel it in there was a ghost of a memory and not real. I had no idea it would affect you so much."_  She said mournfully and Ed was tempted to ask who the blood belonged too but he could feel she didn't want to talk about it so he focused his attention on the raven-haired teenager watching him with open worry, any animosity forgotten for the moment.

"Thank you." Ed said and Keith jerked back in surprise. "How'd you know to do that? Most people try to touch me if that happens. The last one got a broken arm." Not that he'd let many people see him break down like this if he could help it. Gracia had seen one and helped him through it - apparently Hughes had suffered a couple - and explained what had happened to Elysia so she didn't accidentally touch Ed if she came across him like that. Ed had made sure she hadn't had to.

"Oh, uh, Shiro has attacks sometimes. And, uh, Lance was the first one to find him. He found the rest of us and told us what to do if we come across Shiro like that. He has an aunt who suffers from PTSD apparently so, yeah, that's how I knew." Keith told him. "Are you alright now?" He asked, hoping the answer was 'yes' because he honestly didn't know what to do if the answer was 'no'.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It won't happen again. Do you guys have any cleaning supplies around here?" The sudden conversation change had Keith reeling momentarily.

"Uh, yeah, over here." He said before escorting Ed towards the supplies Lance insisted Blue likes more. Ed paused for a moment before turning to Blue.

"Do you want me to clean that up?" He asked and Keith looked confused as Ed listened to the reply. Ed seemed to frown before putting the supplies down. "I can use alchemy, if you don't want the cleaning supplies in there. It won't affect your array." He said, looking up at the Blue Lion properly. A long moment passed before Ed nodded and made his way back over to Blue.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Keith asked as he followed the blonde.

"Well, right now I'm about to clean up some dried blood in Blue's brain, I guess would be the best way to put it. Then I'm gonna carve an array into each of the Lions that King Alfor had been working on before his death." Ed told him and Keith let out a strangled noise. Ed quirked a brow up.

"You just had a panic attack at, I'm assuming, the blood and you're going back up there?" Keith asked, confused. Shiro did his best to avoid situations he knew would trigger him, so he didn't put the team in danger (his words) and this kid was going back up there?

"Well, yeah. Unless you know alchemy, which I know you don't, you can't clean it and Blue doesn't want cleaning supplies in there. Also, the only reason that sight caused that reaction was because I wasn't prepared for it. I am now so it's not a problem." Ed shrugged and Keith stared at him. There was something else that bothered Keith.

"You didn't seem shocked I was here when you were better." He said and Ed snorted.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you sneaking after me? Besides," he waved a dismissive hand, "the Lions reacted to you  _and_  I had expected someone to follow me when I snuck out." He told him and Keith's brow furrowed.

"Why?" He asked, ignoring the first two points.

"Well, it's what I would've done if our roles were switched. I mean, I  _am_  a complete stranger who has shown interest in the Lions, which are arguably the most important things on this ship. I would've followed me." He pointed out and Keith had to admit it made sense. He watched as Ed went to do his run-up again.

"Do you want a leg up?" He asked and Ed looked at him suspiciously.

"You're gonna help me up? Help me get access to the only thing that makes the Lions like they are?" He asked, his meaning clear. Keith didn't look impressed.

"Red trusts you enough to let you do this. Red doesn't trust anyone easily. She barely trusts the team as it is. So if she's letting you have access to her array, it means she trusts you completely and I trust her judgement." Keith told him and Ed spent a few moments considering him before nodding.

"Fair." He said before walking back to where Keith stood next to Blue's paw. "Okay. I'd appreciate the leg up." He said and Keith obliged, forming a platform with his hands and Ed placed his right foot on them. "On three." He said, holding Keith's shoulders. "1, 2, 3." He counted and Ed felt himself being lifted before his hands left Keith's shoulders and he found himself up on Blue's paw once again. He leaned over the edge slightly. "Thanks." He smiled slightly before getting his balance so Blue could lift him up again. Keith watched as he paused before climbing up to the access hatch and slipping inside.

Ed had paused while standing on Blue's muzzle before climbing back up to the hole and sliding inside. He landed gently and swallowed heavily as he smelt the old, coppery scent of blood and decay. His eyes adjusted and he eyed the blood splatter, smears and puddles and fought his urge to throw up. He felt Blue's concern and he told her he was fine. Taking another deep breath, he placed his hand on a section of floor that didn't have any blood and was outside of the etched-in array. A flash of blue lit up the small room and the blood vanished from the room. He felt Blue's grief intensify before he felt a sense of closure coming from her.

 _"Thank you, Edward."_  She whispered and Ed gave the closest section of floor a comforting pat.

"No problems, Blue. Now, are you ready? I have to carve the array then activate it. You should feel what the array does. Please don't do anything until I've put the array in the others. We don't want to ruin the surprise." He said, keeping his voice light and cheery. He felt her amusement.

 _"Of course. Is there something else I should look for?"_  She asked and Ed hummed.

"Once I've activated it, you should feel like there's a switch in your mind. Don't flick it on until I've done the array for the others." He told her and felt her agreement. "Oh! Your name! I need your name." He remembered suddenly and Blue's surprise was evident in his mind. She'd forgotten about that part as well.

 _"Of course! My true name is Vada."_  She whispered.

"Pretty name." Ed said and her version of a blush washed over him.

He closed his eyes and took a moment to collect his energy and clear his mind. This array was one of the biggest he'll have ever tried to perform, not to mention one of the more important ones. He went over the array in his mind, looking at every angle to make sure it was perfect, before placing a hand in the centre of wall closest to him and checking with Blue if placing the array here would cause any problems in the future. Once she assured him it wouldn't, he called the array back up and etched it into the wall.

He scooted back and checked it over with a scrutinising gaze that would've put Teacher to shame. He went over every single detail with extreme caution before nodding, satisfied with what he saw. He placed a hand to it, whispered 'Vada' and activated the new array. He watched as the array caused random blue lines to spread out from the array and through the room. Ed suspected they spread all over Blue, even the outside, before they came back and Ed felt Blue shudder, which was slightly terrifying considering he was currently standing inside of her.

* * *

 

Keith nearly fell on his arse when the first flash of blue shone out of Blue's head. The second one was far less surprising but when electric blue lines suddenly spread out all over Blue in random patterns, Keith really did fall on his arse, to the amusement of Red. He shot his Lion a venomless glare as he got back to his feet in time to see Ed lift himself out of Blue and slide down onto her muzzle. The panel behind him closed automatically as he straightened up.

* * *

 

"You okay?" He asked and Blue vibrated violently enough that Ed nearly lost his balance as he realised she was purring.

 _"Oh, very much so. Please hurry and help the others so I can reveal this. I can't believe Alfor was trying to achieve this for us."_  She told him, voice giddy and somehow slightly breathless. Ed chuckled before giving her a pat.

"Who's next?" He called out, looking at the other four. He felt them trying to pry information from Blue whose amusement at their escalating demanding grew alarmingly high.

 _"I'll go next."_  Green said and Ed nodded and Ed went to hop down only to stumble back when Blue moved sideways and Black placed her muzzle in front of Ed. He hoped onto her and was passed to Yellow who handed him down to Green, which was more of a controlled slide onto Green's muzzle since Yellow was so much bigger than Green.

"Thanks, guys. That was fun." He grinned at them before climbing up Green once she opened her hatch. He peered in cautiously only to be greeted with a clean space with just the array in it. He fell through the hatch and landed softly on the floor. Green's array was the same as Blue's with a couple of minor differences that Ed itched to look at but he restrained himself. "All good for me to etch this array on your wall here?" He asked, placing a hand on the wall he intended to put the array on.

 _"That's fine."_  Green assured him and he got to work. The array was carved into the metal and Ed checked it over with the same level of scrutiny he did to Blue's before activating it.

"What's your real name?" Ed asked and he felt Green hesitate before answering.

 _"It's Kasvi."_  She said finally.

"Thank you. It's a lovely name." Ed told her before giving her the same warnings he gave Blue. The same reaction happened as what happened in Blue except the blue lines were green. Green let out the same shudder Blue did and he felt her complete shock melt into unbridled joy as he climbed out. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he climbed out.

"All good?" He asked and he felt her grin.

 _"Absolutely. This is incredible. Thank you for doing this, Edward."_  She said, voice managing to catch with emotions.

"You're welcome." Ed said, giving her muzzle a pat. He glanced down to see Keith looking up at him. "You alright down there?" He called down.

"What are you doing to them?" Keith asked. Aside from the glowing lines, no other change had happened and those lines had disappeared after a moment.

"You'll see." Ed called back before looking up at Yellow. "Wanna go next?" He asked and Yellow simply lowered her head as much as possible in response. Green stretched as much as she could and Ed leapt, dangling from Yellow by his hands. Pulling himself up, he was soon on Yellow's muzzle and her hatch opened up. "So that's a yes." He muttered as he started the climb, grinning when he felt Yellow's laughter. "Oh, yeah. I need your name before I forget." He said, slipping inside the hatch.

 _"Zemya."_ She told him.

"Beautiful." He said before going through the same motions he did with the others.

* * *

 

Keith watched Ed climb up Yellow. The Lion was bigger than the other two so it took him a little longer and there was a heart stopping moment when Ed looked like he'd lost his grip for a moment but he kept going. He disappeared inside and Keith watched as blue light lit up the hatch once again. A few moments later and Yellow's body was overtaken by yellow light. Once they disappeared, Ed climbed back out. Keith glanced at the clock Lance insisted Pidge put in here, one in every room they used, and saw that it had been nearly six hours since Allura told them to go to bed. He had no clue that much time had passed.

* * *

 

"Black!" Ed called, catching the Lion's attention and Keith's. The boy watched as Ed was passed over to the head of Voltron but her hatch didn't open. "What's up?" Ed asked at the same time Keith called up the same question.

 _"I'd like to go last, please."_  Black said and Ed frowned but nodded.

"You sure?" She assured him she was and he shrugged. "Okay. Hey, Black's gonna go last so you're up, Red!" He hollered out, more for Keith than anything. "Stay still, Blue!" He called down to the Lion before heading to the other side of Black.

 _"I can pass you down to her, you know."_  Black told him but Ed grinned.

"Nah, this way's more fun. I wanna see if I can do it, anyhow." He told her before running and leaping off of Black and arcing down to Blue.

He hit her feet-first and let himself go into a forward tumble before hitting the edge of Blue's muzzle and leaping for Red. His momentum was too much and he hit Red before sliding completely off of her muzzle. He heard Keith yell his name but Red was quicker, catching Ed on her paw.

 _"You're an idiot."_  She told him gruffly as she lifted her paw up to her nose and watched as he clambered onto it sheepishly.

"Well," he panted, grinning, "you're not wrong." He said and she huffed out some laughter before opening her hatch up. "I'm alright!" He called down to Keith before starting his climb. He grinned at the muttering he could sort of hear from the teenager. He dropped down through the hatch, landing neatly next to the array. "So, same deal as the others. You should feel like switch has formed in your mind. Don't switch it on until I've put the array in Black, please. Can I put the array here?" He asked, placing his hand on the wall identical to where he'd put the array in the other Lions.

 _"That's fine. I won't do anything until you're done with Black."_  She promised though Ed could hear the reluctance in her voice.

"Thanks, girl." Ed said, placing his hand on her wall to carve the array. "Okay, now your name."

 _"My true name is Tuli."_  She said while he checked the array for mistakes (he found none, thank you) and activated it, saying her name. Red lines raced through Red and back again before Red shuddered and Ed climbed out of her.

"You have a sweet name. Are you good?" He asked and felt Red's burning excitement.

 _"Thank you and yes. Hurry up and do Black's array."_  She ordered and Ed laughed at her impatience. He went to try and get up to Black on his own but stopped when Red growled.  _"No, I'm passing you over. Don't need you killing yourself like an idiot."_  She told him and he heard Keith let out a bark of laughter.

"I wouldn't argue with her!" Keith yelled at him and Ed flipped him off but let himself be lifted up to Blue, clambering onto her muzzle before making it to Black. He ignored Blue's amusement at him being told off.

"Okay, Black. You ready?" He asked once he was on her muzzle, looking into her yellow eyes. Her hatch opened.

 _"Yes. I would like to know what our creator wanted to surprise us with. I can feel my sisters excitement and impatience."_  She told him while he climbed up and Ed chuckled.

"I can imagine. Thank the Gate Al and I weren't connected like you guys while he was in the armour. I don't know how I would've handled feeling his wants and real feelings." Ed told her as he gripped the edge of the opening and swung himself into it.

The room was far bigger than any of the others and Ed put that down to her sheer size. Unlike the others, hers was dusty. Like, he couldn't see the array for all of the dust inside of her and he flashed back to Moore's trap momentarily. Getting permission, he eradicated the dust with a similar array to what he used in Blue and uncovered Black's array.

"Why was it so dusty in here?" He asked as he examined her array. There was quite a difference between hers and the others.

 _"I've not let anyone in this room since my last Paladin."_  She told him and Ed could tell there was a story considering how bitter and hurt she sounded but he left it. She'd tell him if she wanted too.

"Okay. What's your true name and can I put the array here?" He asked, placing a hand on the wall of his choice.

 _"Yes. My name is Nieba."_  She told him and he carved the array where his hand was.

"You guys have really unique names. It's very cool." He told her, studying the array in front of him. "Okay, I'm gonna activate it. Please wait for me to get on the ground before you do anything. I doubt the array would work while you had someone inside you because that'd be awkward for you and your pilot but just in case?" He asked and she giggled at him.

 _"Of course. Please proceed."_  She said and he did so, whispering her name as he placed his hand on the array to activate it. Funnily enough, white lines ran out of the array instead of black but he waited until they receded and Black had shuddered before clambering out. She lowered him to the ground and he collapsed where he landed. He hadn't felt the drain on his energy until now but he was grateful he was recharging much faster than normal.

"You alright? Do I need to get Coran?" Keith asked as he approached until he was a metre away. Ed shook his head.

"Nope. I'm all good." He said, pulling himself to his feet. "Okay, before you get all excited, once you activate that switch and the array's done its job, you lot need to stay still and see if you can switch back. If you can't, I've fucked up and I'd appreciate a chance to fix it before you eat me. Okay?" He addressed the Lions and felt them agree, despite being amused.

 _"Could you ask the Red Paladin to leave please? I wish for my pilot to be the first human, aside from you, to see this."_ Blue asked and Ed jolted. He hadn't thought of that.

"You okay with that, Red?" He asked and felt the Red Lion's reluctant agreement. He faced a confused Keith. "Do you think you can wait outside of the room? What this array does is phenomenal. King Alfor was a genius to have gotten as far as he did but the Lions wish for their Paladins to be the first ones to see them do this. They're asking you to leave." Ed said and Keith's face turned to anger.

"What about you? Why can you stay? And what about Red? Why can't I watch her?" Keith demanded, trembling with fury. Ed stood his ground.

"The only reason I'm staying is in case something goes wrong. I need to see this unfold to make sure I didn't screw up somewhere. If I didn't need to be here, I would be leaving with you." Ed told him honestly. "As for Red, ask her yourself." He said before turning his back on the teenager. He heard Keith growl before his footsteps told Ed he was heading for Red.

Keith stood in front of his Lion and looked up at her expectantly. He didn't voice his question out loud, knowing she would've heard him and Ed speaking so he waited for her to simply answer it. He could feel her conflicted emotions swirling through their bond and he didn't know how he felt about that.

 _"Please, my cub. I wish nothing more for you to be the first one to see this but Edward is correct. My sisters are okay with him being here for this but they don't wish for you to see them first. Please wait outside until I say? I promise I'll show you as soon as you come back in. When you see this, you'll understand why my sisters don't want you seeing them."_  Red certainly sounded upset that she had to ask and Keith wanted to be mad but he could feel how much Red wanted him to stay and he couldn't find it in himself to be angry.

"Okay, Red. Let me know when it's safe for me to come back in." Keith sighed and he walked out, feeling Red's gratefulness as he did. He didn't look back at anyone else as the door opened and shut behind him.

* * *

Ed watched him go and felt a little bad. He could tell how much Red wanted him to stay and that the only reason she even asked him to leave was because her sisters asked. He turned back to face the Lions and gave them a nod to go ahead. He had to cover his eyes from the blinding light that shone from each of the Lions and it took a good minute for them to fade enough for Ed to look. When he saw the end result, he couldn't stop the grin that threatened to split his face.

"Okay, we need to do some tests before we let anyone see you. You ready?" He asked and got five excited responses. "Let's do this."

* * *

Keith stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he felt Red's emotions through their bond. First there was excited apprehension then fear and determination before worry and finally joy so massive Keith felt like the both of them would burst from it. Keith knew that if he was feeling this, the other Paladins would be from their Lions and sure enough, ten minutes later, had the other Paladins and the Alteans standing in front of Keith, who was blocking the door from them.

"We're not allowed in yet." Keith said sternly and Lance went to argue but Shiro stopped him.

"Why not? What's going on?" Shiro asked and Lance looked a little hurt at being cut off but the look was quickly replaced.

"Edward's doing something with an array King Alfor was working on before," he glanced at Allura and Coran, "before Zarkon destroyed Altea. The Lions want the result of this array to be secret until they could show you guys first. I was asked to leave until they were done with whatever testing they had to do." Keith told them. He was still hurt by that but tried not to let it show. He was fairly certain he failed.

"Where's Edward than?" Lance asked, looking around like the blonde was hiding.

"In there in case something happens." Keith pointed a thumb behind him. Suddenly Red was speaking to him, telling him they could come in. Keith just turned around and let the door open for them.

* * *

 

The five Lions stood where they had before and Ed watched as the pajama clad group walked in cautiously. He felt the Lions amusement at the Paladins and Alteans obvious confusion but Ed just stayed where he was, leaning up against Black's paw, until the group reached them. Ed wasn't bothering to hide his grin as he watched them come to a stop a few feet away.

"What's going on? What happened to your hand?" Shiro asked and everyone's eyes fell onto Ed's left hand. The glove was doing a very poor job of stemming the blood flow and there were blood smears on Black's paw. Shiro instinctively reached out to grab it and look at it by Ed hid it behind his back.

"Minor accident with Yellow." Ed told him casually. Hunk felt Yellow's sorrow and so did Ed. "I already told you it wasn't your fault. Now you all know you have to be more careful because they're sharp." Ed told Yellow and Hunk was both pleased and confused by what Ed had said.

"What's sharp?" Hunk asked and looked at Yellow carefully. He couldn't see anything different. Ed's grin reminded Hunk of one of Lance's nephews when he had something he thought was really awesome to show them.

"Take a few steps back." He said, shooing them away from the Lions. Confused, they did as they were told. Ed moved with them. "You'll want to cover your eyes. It's gonna get really bright in a moment." Ed warned and waited for them to do so. When the last person had closed their eyes, Ed faced the Lions. "Whenever you're ready, guys." He said to them before facing the Paladins again. "Keep your eyes closed until I say otherwise." He ordered before covering his own eyes.

The bright light overtook the room again and Ed could hear the others gasping in surprise and one in pain. Obviously someone hadn't listened to Ed. It took less time this time around but Ed managed to look at the Lions soon and grinned when it was shown to have been successful once again.

"Okay." He said, turning to face the others while moving to stand aside so he wasn't in the way. "You can look now." He told them and laughed when they all did so and their jaws immediately dropped to the ground.

Standing in front of them were the five Lions, in the same spot, the same colours but with one massive difference; they were flesh and blood Lions. All five wore a smirk and loosed a simultaneous roar before rushing their respective Paladins.


	4. Chapter 4

Not a single person or alien in that room got a word out before the five Paladins were tackled by their Lions. Ed grinned as he watched them trying to come to terms with the fact that their Lions were now flesh and blood and were currently trying to lick them up the face only to remember last minute that their tongues would strip the skin off of their humans so they settled for nuzzling them. Allura and Coran were watching the scene with amazement and confusion.

"How is this possible?" Allura asked as she and Coran made their way over to stand next to Edward while the Paladins struggled to push their Lions off of them. It was easier said than done considering these Lions were easily four times bigger than normal Earth lions.

"Your father was working on this array. For some reason, Truth decided to show me that array and the base array for the Lions. With the knowledge I have, I was able to finish the array for King Alfor. I couldn't sleep so I came down here to see if they'd let me give them the array." Ed told her. "The array is nothing like I've ever seen. Either array, for that matter. Your father was a genius." He told her and freaked out when he saw a tear roll down her face.

"Thank you, Edward." She whispered and Ed shifted a little uncomfortably.

"I'm just telling the truth." He mumbled, a small flush on his face. To his surprise, Allura shook her head.

"I didn't mean for your words, though I am thankful for those, but I meant for doing this for them. I know you can feel them as much as I can so you know how delighted they are right now. It's been a long time since someone did something solely for them." Allura told him and the seriousness of her tone froze him.

"I was happy to do this for them. The alchemy is nothing like what we use on Amestris but Truth did do me a solid, for once, and gave me the knowledge I needed about the alchemy that's used here. Your alchemy is more magic based than science based which means that if I ever tell Morgan or DiNozzo this, I'll never live this down." Ed paled slightly before shaking his head. He'll just never tell them. "That's besides the point. I wanted to give it a try, see if I could do it, and they let me so this was as much for me as it was them." Ed told her honestly. Allura didn't look convinced but nodded slightly anyway.

"Who are Morgan and DiNozzo?" Allura asked and Ed gave her a questioning look. "You mentioned them just now."

"Oh. I didn't realise I said that out loud. I'll probably end up telling you later today. I'm sure those stories will come up." He told her before his eyes widened as he spotted something over her shoulder. "No, no, no, no! Don't-!" He didn't get his warning out before he was taken down by a massive, yellow blur and Hunk's too-late warning shout.

* * *

To say they were shocked when they opened their eyes to find themselves with actual lions when the light died out and Ed gave them the all clear would be an understatement. Shiro was certain it was a mass hallucination but he could feel Black's amusement and worry that he didn't like the surprise. Lance and the others had rushed forward to be met halfway by their own Lions. Keith was the only one still frozen next to Shiro but only for a heartbeat and suddenly Shiro was by himself. Black approached him slowly and he sunk to the ground to bury his face in her body.

 _"So you're not upset? We can change back but this form... it means we can join in on your movie nights and whatnot like we wanted to. We don't have to miss out on your team bonding and imagine all of the new training lessons you can do with us like this?"_  Shiro couldn't believe it but Black was rambling. He saw Allura and Coran approach Edward, who looked apprehensive, and talk softly with him out of the corner of his eye but his focus was on his Lion.

"Trust me, girl, I am so far from upset. This is - this is incredible. I can't believe you can do this! It's, well, there isn't really a word that accurately sums this up." Shiro told her before getting a proper look at her and the others.

All of the Lions, without exception, were primarily their colour. However, their paws and midway up to their legs were white. Then the rest of their legs, underbelly's, tufts of their tail and chests were a lighter shade of their colour. Their body, tail and heads were the same shade as their mechanical forms while their ears were all white with a stripe of their primary colour. Of course, their eyes were bright yellow, the same yellow they were in mechanical form. It was kind of eerie and reminded Shiro of the Galra but the Lions eyes were nothing but kind and curious.

 _"What do you think?"_  Black asked, tilting her head as Shiro's examination of them was complete.

"I think you're gorgeous and that the Galra won't know what hit them." Shiro grinned which Black returned and Shiro would be the first to admit that that smile made him glad he was Black's pilot, not enemy. A yellow blur flashed past them and Edward's protests were barely uttered when Shiro watched him get taken down.

"Yellow! Get off! You're heavy!" Ed gasped as he fell on his back with Yellow substantial weight pressing on him. She shifted and Ed was able to breathe again. "Don't you dare lick me! We've discussed this." He warned as he sat up and Yellow gave him a pout.

 _"I'm sorry."_  She whimpered, looking pointedly at his injured palm.  _"It's deep. You need one of them to look at it for you. I'm sorry I hurt you so badly."_  She whispered and Ed wrapped his automail arm around her neck.

"First off; quit apologising. It's unnecessary. Secondly; I can look after this injury myself, thank you. Definitely isn't the worst one I've had to deal with and thirdly; it's not that bad, even by normal person standards so quit your stressing." He chided gently, poking her cheek, and felt her guilt dissipate a little as everyone gathered around to watch them. Ed climbed back to his feet only to be knocked back on his arse by Green.

 _"Thank you, Edward. I'm so happy to know what King Alfor was trying to achieve. Thank you for showing us."_  She said, nuzzling his cheek, causing him splutter from her hair.

"You're welcome." He said, giving her a pat before eyeing up the other three. "You're gonna do this as well, aren't you?" They nodded. "Would it help if I said 'thanks' wasn't necessary?" Three shakes of their heads. "What if we pretended you already did this?" Also a 'no'. Ed sighed. "You're just gonna pin me down, aren't you?"

 _"Yes."_  Blue told him, smirking. Ed threw his hands in the air.

"Fine! Make it snappy. I'm allergic to affection." He told them and they rolled their eyes but Red came forward to knock her head against Ed's in thanks. Ed was too busy grumbling at whatever Red said to notice the looks everyone was exchanging at his statement. Blue was up next and waited until he'd wrapped both arms around her neck, cautious not to get his blood on her, and hugged her back. Yellow crawled back into his lap and got a hug as well before hopping up and joining her Paladin, still towering over Hunk as she sat next to him. Black was the last Lion left.

 _"I can't thank you enough, Edward. You've made it so half of Alfor's final wishes came true. If you can defeat the witch and my former Paladin and Allura lives, you'll have granted all of his last wishes. My sister's and I will do our best to help you so you can achieve that goal, little alchemist."_  She told him, pressing their foreheads together and Ed grinned.

"I think you guys and I would make a pretty formidable team." He told her before she allowed him to hook his automail arm around her neck and helped him stand. "Cheers, Black. Reckon you lot and I should train together once your pilots and Alteans and I have our discussion about all of this shit." He told her and she huffed in laughter.

 _"Oh, I don't think you'll be rid of us that easily now. We're small enough to walk through these hallways like we've always wanted to do. We'll be joining your little discussion."_  She told him and he grinned at her. He couldn't see a downside to that.

"He's gotta go to the med bay first, Black." Shiro told her and Ed scowled.

"No, I don't." He told him and Shiro looked very unimpressed.

"You need that looked at and cleaned out. God knows what's under Yellow's claws." He said and Ed shook his head.

"I'm fine. I can deal with it myself." Ed argued stubbornly. "Also, since they've never transformed into this shape, there shouldn't be anything under their claws." Ed said but Shiro ignored him which Ed thought was quite rude.

"What if one of us takes you to the med-bay and tells you what everything does so you can patch yourself up? Everything on this ship is in Altean so you wouldn't be able to read it anyway." Lance offered from where he was sitting with Blue, who was wrapped around him contently.

"That's a good idea, Lance. You know what everything in the med-bay does, don't you?" Shiro asked and Lance preened at the praise only to nod hesitantly at the question. "Can you show him, please? We'll meet up with you two in the dining room. We'll have breakfast before we start talking and planning." He said and Lance's face fell before he gave his team leader a smile.

"Sure can, Shiro." He said and Shiro gave him a grateful grin.

"Thanks, Lance. We'll go get breakfast started." He said, gesturing for everyone to leave the hangar. To absolutely no ones surprise, the Lions followed them. Lance and Blue broke off from the group and Edward followed him. Neither boy said a word to each other. Blue was investigating everything she could while keeping an eye on the two of them.

* * *

 

When they finally got to the med-bay, Lance directed Ed to take a seat on what Ed assumed was the bed there but there weren't any sheets on it. Lance told him it was because they rarely had an injury that the pod couldn't heal and Ed was kinda tempted to find out how that pod worked but figured he'd probably get killed if he broke it. When Lance told him to take off his 'bandage', Ed hesitated, something Lance saw and rolled his eyes at.

"I need to see the damage so I know what to get for you." He told him huffily and Ed scowled but removed the torn glove, not even wincing as the drying blood made the task a little more difficult and painful. Lance winced in sympathy though. He frowned at the wound before grabbing some liquid and something in between papertowels and wet-wipes and handed them to Ed. "Clean the wound up with that first. I'll look at it when I can actually see it."

"You trained in medicine?" Ed asked as he did as he was told. Lance almost scoffed but figured it was actually a fair question.

"Sort of. My mamá is a nurse. I helped her out with our family members when I was younger. Eventually, I read all of her medical textbooks and started patching them up myself to save her the trouble." Lance told him and Ed nodded.

"I get that. Not so much the medical side of things but I get learning things to help make your mum's life easier." Ed said, giving his hand one more wipe and nodding to himself, satisfied with it. Lance watched him for a moment, surprised at that little tidbit, before reaching to grab his hand to look at the injury properly. He didn't know who was more surprised, himself or Edward, when Ed flinched back, hand tucking up to his chest protectively.

"Um, sorry. Just wanted-" Lance started to apologise but Ed thrust his hand back out.

"Don't worry about it." He said, refusing to make eye contact. Blue made a worried noise. Ed's features softened a little. "No, he didn't do anything. My own issue." He told her, quietly. Lance pretended he couldn't hear him, holding his hand gently as he checked the blonde's palm over before letting it go.

"Good news is it isn't too deep. You'll need to disinfect it and there's some numbing jelly and speedy healing goop you can use on it before wrapping it up." Lance said and caught sight of Ed's amused smirk. "What?" He asked, a little defensively.

"Nothing. Just, are those the technical terms?" Ed asked, eyes twinkling lightly with amusement and Lance had to smile at that.

"In Doctor Lance's clinic, they are." He said cheerfully and was rewarded with a small laugh from the blonde as he turned to get the supplies he needed.

"Why?" Ed asked suddenly and Lance turned his head to ask what he was on about only to see the alchemist looking at his Lion. Ed shrugged and held out his injured hand for her apparent inspection. "You happy now?" He asked, pulling the hand back when she was evidently done.

"Blue, stop annoying the injured person." Lance chided and watched in amusement as Blue's ears flicked back in annoyance and her tail twitched.

 _"I am not annoying him! I just wanted to see what damage our claws could do."_  She said sulkily. Lance grinned at her almost pout, still more amazed that he could interact with her like this. He turned back to his task as Ed reached out to flick his Lion in the ear, grinning mischievously as she growled low at him.

"Okay, this is everything. Use this to disinfect the wound. Now it'll sting like a bitch; fair warning." Lance said just as Ed tipped it on the wound and dried up the excess with barely a twitch. "Or it won't. Whatever. Here's the numbing jelly. Apply a little to the wound and wait for it to dry." He instructed as Ed scooped a bit out with a now gloveless automail finger and carefully rubbed it into the scratch.

"So how long do I have to wait?" Ed asked, holding his hand level.

"Normally only a minute or two." Lance told him, eyeing the jelly on his hand. "In your case, sooner rather than later, I think." He said and Ed nodded, leaning back on his automail arm as he swung his legs back and forth, feet barely scuffing the floor. Lance decided now was probably as good a time as any for what he needed to say. "Look, Edward, I'm sorry for how I acted last night." Lance said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly before looking up at the blonde.

"Why?" Edward sounded absolutely astounded that Lance thought he had to apologise.

"Because I was being a grade A dick for no reason. Shiro came to see me after we all went to bed and we talked about what I said and I realised how much like a douche I sounded and I'm sorry." Lance told him but steamrolled over anything Ed might have tried to say. "I didn't think about your situation or what you might have gone through. You agreed to stay here and help us, despite the fact that you have absolutely no reason to, and I accused you of not caring about us and being here for your own selfish reasons. Shiro pointed out to me that we're all here for our own selfish reasons, which you pointed as well, and that you obviously must have cared a little bit because you wouldn't be here otherwise. Plus, you helped the Lions with that array for no reason other than making them happy so I guess that I'm saying is you're not as much of an arsehole as I thought and I'm sorry for acting like a complete dickhead." Lance said quickly once he realised he was rambling. Ed looked stunned for a moment.

"Ah, no worries." He said, still confused. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I get it and if our roles had been reversed, I probably would've reacted far worse." Ed assured him and Lance seemed to sag a little, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. There was another awkward moment and Lance swore he saw Blue roll her eyes before she nudged her head under Ed's injured palm.

"Right. Let's look at that." Lance said and Ed held his hand out obediently. Lance grasped the wrist lightly, tilting the hand ever so slightly each way. "Sweet, this is all good. Now you need to apply the healing goop and we can wrap it up." Lance said, waiting as Ed scooped a bit of the goop out before packing up the items he'd used and grabbing a bit of gauze and bandage.

"Done." Ed said, wiping his finger on his sleep pants and Lance rolled his eyes. "What? I can't risk getting that crap in the joints. Winry would murder me." Ed shuddered at the thought and Lance looked bemused as he handed the bandage and gauze over.

"Winry?" He prodded and Ed sighed as he placed the gauze and started wrapping his hand up far better than Lance expected.

"My mechanic. She's very protective of her creations and takes it very personal if I so much as scratch my limbs. Which is a very hard thing to avoid when you're trying to take down stupid criminals who think fighting their way out is possible." He explained, finishing up his wrapping and flexing his hand.

 _"I'd protect you from her."_  Blue told him and Ed cooed a little.

"Aw, that's real sweet but she'd probably take you down to get to me. She's a blonde, wrench-wielding demon and no man or lion would stand a chance against her." Ed told her solemnly.

"Maybe we should sic her onto Haggar." Lance suggested and Ed let out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah, just destroy one of my limbs, tell her the witch did it and let Winry loose. You'd win this war in no time." Ed half-joked. Blue really did roll her eyes at them.

 _"We should get to the meeting. My sisters know we're done here."_  She told them and Ed cocked his head questioningly.

"How?" He asked and Lance nodded like he wanted to know as well.

 _"Didn't you realise what you did when you activated that array for each of us?"_  She asked, confused and Ed shook his head. He didn't really know.  _"You inserted some of your personal alchemic energy into us to kickstart the first transformation. Of course, we now rely on quintessence, same as you, to transform but you gave us some of your own energy to start with."_  She explained.

"Yeah, I remember I was kinda tired after I activated Black's array so I figured I'd given some of my energy to you guys." Ed said. "But I don't get what that has to do with your sisters knowing we're done here." He admitted. Blue stood and swished her tail a little in annoyance.

 _"We're no longer just bonded like us and our Paladins, where we can sense emotions and speak without talking out loud. We're connected on a much deeper level. We'll be able to track you anywhere, we can tell when you're hurt, no matter how minor, and when you're healed. I don't really know how to put it into words but we'll know everything you're doing and what's happening to you and you, to some degree, will be able to do the same for us."_  Blue explained and Ed and Lance shared a look before Lance shrugged.

"I think she's basically saying you're like, the ultimate Paladin. Connected to all of the Lions and on a deeper level because you used your alchemy to jumpstart their first transformation." Lance said and Blue made a happy noise, butting her head against Lance affectionately.

"Oh." Ed said. "Well, that'll either be really helpful or really annoying." Ed said and Lance laughed.

"Better you than me. Blue has to deal with enough having me as a Paladin just as I am. I wouldn't wish that on the other Lions." Lance laughed before letting out a yelp as Blue pushed him to the ground and stood over him, snarling. Ed cocked his head, surveying the scene, while Blue growled whatever she was saying to Lance. Lance paled but looked flustered and pleased.

"I think Blue is telling you she thinks you're doing a pretty good job. Either that or she's about to rip your throat out and is being nice enough to tell you in advance." Ed guessed and Blue snuffled before sitting back on her haunches.

"The first one." Lance groaned from where he lay on the ground. Ed rolled his eyes at the Lion's dramatics before extending his hand to help Lance up. The Cuban had almost grasped it when Ed ripped it back and extended his other hand.

"Wrong one." Ed said sheepishly as he pulled Lance to his feet. Only then did Lance realise he was now gripping the automail arm. Lance let go of the blonde's hand with a laugh.

"Yeah, don't think we want to try breaking the record of reopening an injury. That record's held by Keith, because he's a dumb mullet who doesn't listen to me." Lance told him and Ed smirked as he felt Red's mental hackles rise at the jab at her pilot.

 _"Come on. I want to see more of the Castle-Ship. Coran's grandfather certainly did a marvelous job on it and I want to see it all."_  Blue whined and Lance and Ed both decided it was probably best they didn't keep the larger-than-normal Lion waiting longer than necessary. She stopped just as they left the med-bay, tilting her head a little.  _"You two should probably change out of your pajamas. Everyone else has."_  She told them.

"Yeah that's probably not a bad idea. I doubt anyone is gonna get some sleep after this." Lance said and Ed had to agree.

They changed course and took the scenic route to the bedrooms. Lance said it was so Ed could see more of the Castle but it was mainly for Blue. Ed was surprised at how well he and Lance were getting along now. Blue gave him a look that basically said 'I knew you would once you got over yourselves'. Ed chose to ignore that look. Lance walked Ed into the room the Princess had given him.

"Okay, I don't know whether this room has been stocked." Lance said as he walked over to the wardrobe to have a look. Throwing the doors open he was shown nothing. "That's what I figured. Your clothes are already in the wash. Pidge made this little laundry bot that collects any clothing item that isn't folded or hanging up." Lance told him before walking out of the room. Blue nudged Ed in the back to make him follow.

"Where are we going?" Ed asked as the Lion pushed him forward.

"My room. My shirts should fit you. I'll nab a pair of pants from the Mullet's room." Lance told him, eyes looking him up and down. "Hold on a sec." He said as he disappeared into a room, emerging a minute later with a comfortable pair of black slacks and throwing them at Ed's face.

"Thanks." The blonde deadpanned and Lance laughed at him before they ducked into the room two doors down from Keith's. Lance was already rifling through a wardrobe and came up with a long-sleeved, comfortable looking, pale blue shirt and throwing it at Ed who caught it.

"Bathroom's through there. Let me know if you need anything." Lance said and Ed nodded, disappearing into the aforementioned room. Lance changed into his usual day clothes quickly to avoid the chance of Ed walking in on him half-dressed.

"Hey, do you have a brush?" Ed called and Lance thought for a moment.

"Yeah there should be one maybe in the second or third drawer?" He shouted back and heard the drawers opening before he heard a small sound of victory.

"Found it!" Ed said and Lance finished getting himself ready. He'd just put his jacket on when Ed walked out. "Do you have any gloves?" He asked and Lance shook his head.

"No. Keith might have a spare pair of his though." Lance suggested and Ed's face pinched in thought.

"Those fingerless things?" He asked and Lance nodded. "No, they wouldn't work." Ed shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'll just go without for now before I make myself a new pair." He shrugged, unconsciously flexing his automail hand.

"Why don't you just fix up your pair?" Lance asked and Ed shook his head.

"Nah, the material I used for them wasn't really suitable for automail. They were an emergency pair anyway." Ed told him. "I could fix them but I'd just wear them out again in no time." Lance considered what he'd said for a moment before getting an idea.

"I know what you can use!" He exclaimed suddenly, causing Ed and Blue to jump slightly. "Come on, there's a storage closet that has a tonne of fabric and sewing supplies. I'm sure there'll be something there that'll suit what you need." Lance said as he led them out of his room and in the opposite direction of where the others were waiting.

"Wait, are you sure? Shouldn't we meet up with the others first?" Ed asked and Lance made a dismissive gesture that caused Blue to snort in amusement.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It won't take long and it'll make you more comfortable right? Being able to cover it?" He asked, nodding at the automail hand. Ed lifted it and turned it, looking at the metal with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah. People tend to forget I've got it if they can't see it. Stops all the questions and looks I'd get otherwise." Ed said, lowering his hand again. Blue bumped her head up underneath it and Ed scratched her behind the ears cautiously. "Plus, I have to be careful with the joints and shit. Can't let certain things get in there so gloves are a good way to stop that. And I can do this," he gestured to where his hand was smoothing over Blue's hair, "without worrying if the hair will catch." Ed finished saying with a smile that Lance returned.

"Fair enough. I don't think any of the Lions would appreciate it if you yanked out any of their hair." Lance said honestly and Ed chuckled a little, especially when Blue hummed affirmatively in both their minds. "Oh, hey, we're here. That was quick." Lance said as he stopped short in front of a random door. Ed and Blue accidentally walked a couple of steps passed him and where forced to back up so they were level with Lance again.

Lance opened the door up by having it scan his hand and Ed had to gasp at the sheer size of the room and the amount of stuff inside it. There were things he recognised like fabric and yarn, things he was fairly certain he could guess their use for and things, like the massive and complex looking machine in the corner that he had no clue about. Lance, Blue and Ed walked over the fabric wall and Lance was pointing out the differences between the fabrics.

"This one is more like swim suit material. This stuff here feels like silk but it's so tough that you need the sewing machine set up on a special setting to use it. Only Coran knows how to use that. This material changes colour when it's wet. This stuff feels like tissue paper but apparently it was really popular in Altea because of how light-weight it was but it had the same strength as normal fabric so it was ideal for their summers. This stuff is made from some sort of creature who's name I couldn't even try to pronounce. It's great for cold weather climates or this one ice planet we visited." Lance was telling him and Ed couldn't believe how many different types of fabric there was. Not only the types of fabrics but each fabric came in every single colour imaginable.

"Is there something that's light and breathable but extremely durable? Maybe even waterproof?" Ed asked and Lance studied the fabrics again before heading towards the far end of the wall and making a sound of victory.

"Yeah, over here!" He called out and Ed and Blue jogged over to join him. He gestured to the section of wall in front of him. "This stuff is waterproof and it's similar to what our under-suits for our armour is made from. It won't stop a blade directly piercing it but it does hold up against someone slashing at you instead. So when you form your blade, it shouldn't destroy most of the glove like it did yesterday." Lance told him and Ed looked impressed.

"You noticed that, huh?" He asked and Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'd like to not destroy my glove when I form my blade. It's a bitch finding all the little shreds of it after the fight to fix it." Ed said as he ran his left hand over the material in front of him. It felt so soft it was almost like touching nothing. He removed his hand. "What do you guys want for this?" Ed asked and Lance's face pinched in confusion.

"Nothing. It's not like it'll be used with just us seven and you are helping us with Haggar and Zarkon. Don't worry about it." Lance told him. Ed didn't look convinced. "Seriously, man. We're not gonna use all of this material with only seven of us. Also, you're basically a Paladin now and we're allowed to use this so you can as well." Lance insisted and Ed finally nodded.

"Okay. Thanks." He said and Lance gave him a 'don't worry about it' smile. Ed raked his eyes over the colours and chose three different coloured bolts of fabric, laying them side by side and kneeling next to them. Lance knelt next to him and Blue was watching over their shoulders. "You two okay there?" Ed asked, smirking slightly at them and Lance gave him an almost embarrassed smile.

"Just curious to watch you make them." Lance admitted and Blue made an agreeing noise.

"Knock yourselves out." Ed said as he tapped each bolt of fabric, causing blue energy to crackle after each tap. After the last of the energy dissipated, three pairs of gloves in black, red and white lay on top of their respective colours. Lance let out an impressed 'whoa' as Ed gathered them, putting the white ones on and placing the spares in his pockets.

"Okay, that was pretty awesome." Lance told him, voice awed, as he helped him place the remaining fabric back in their places. "Allura doesn't use her alchemy around us. I think she's not confident in her abilities. She hasn't had any formal training, you see." Lance confided in him and Ed nodded.

"I get that. My brother and I were self-taught. Read everything in our father's library that had something to do with alchemy. But when we got our teacher, we improved so much faster than we'd ever imagined." Ed told him, cocking out his hip as they stood next to the fabrics. Blue had decided to explore the room.

"Do you think you could give her some advice?" Lance asked hopefully but Ed shook his head.

"No. Our alchemy isn't the same. I could tell when I saw King Alfor's arrays for the Lions. I don't know how to explain it but my alchemy and hers are different. Any tips I have wouldn't be of any use to her." Ed told him and Lance pouted. "The Lions might be able to help more than me. They were around while King Alfor used any alchemy. They might remember things he did or said about it." Ed told him and Lance's face lit up.

"Oh that's a good idea! I'll tell Allura that." He said before freezing as he remembered something. "Oh, shit, we gotta go. We've been gone for ages!" Lance told him before grabbing Ed's automail hand and pulling him towards the door, letting go only once he was sure Ed was going to follow. Blue raced after them, overtaking them in no time and was now leading the two boys through the hallways.

* * *

 

They were halfway there, having passed the bedroom hallway and going in the opposite direction to the med bay when Blue turned so suddenly she lost traction on the floor and nearly slid into a wall. Her ears were perked up and her hair was poofed out like she'd been shocked. Ed and Lance pulled themselves up before they crashed into her and watched for a moment as her ears twitched. Ed could sense the strained tension from the four other Lions through his bond with them. Before either Ed or Lance could ask her what was going on, Blue took off like a bullet down the hallway before making a hard left turn. Ed and Lance didn't hesitate to follow.

They could barely keep her in their sight and on more than one occasion, they'd been forced to slow enough for Ed to use his tracking array, something Lance had been spooked by. Blue showed up as bright blue, to Ed's complete lack of surprise, and they followed her, eventually catching up enough to glimpse her tail disappearing around a corner. When they finally caught up to her, it was in one of the Castle's hallways that ended in a large window for looking outside and no where to go. Blue had stopped nearly a third of the way down the hallway and had her hackles up, snarling at a figure at the other end of the hallway.

Ed immediately alchemised his blade into life, pleased to see that it simply sliced through the glove without completely destroying it. He'd just have to mend the cut after this. Lance had his blaster materialised in no time and both had taken defensive positions on either side of Blue, who was no longer snarling but hadn't relaxed yet either. Ed glared at the intruder, who was standing half-hidden in the shadows, but let Lance take the lead on this. He had a small, niggling feeling in his mind that something was familiar about the person.

"Who are you and how'd you get in here?" Lance demanded, blaster leveled for a fatal shot in front of him. Blue growled in warning as the figure moved forward and into the light so they could see their face. Ed's jaw dropped.

"Mustang?" Ed asked, lowering his arm as he stared at his commanding officer. Lance gave him a side glance but didn't lower his blaster. Blue's hackles lowered but she still lifted her top lip in a snarl when the black-haired man tried to move.

"Nice to see you too, Fullmetal." The man drawled before dipping a head in the direction of the Lion and her Paladin. "Want to explain this?"


	5. Chapter 5

"What the actual fuck?" Ed nearly shouted, startling the Lion and Lance but causing Mustang to smirk. "Can't I have one alternate dimension adventure where you don't show your ugly face? Why the fuck are you even here? Truth said nothing about sending your useless arse here so why the fuck?!" Ed demanded and Lance couldn't hide his grin as he watched this younger man yelling at the older one in the military uniform. He still had his blaster materialised but he doubted he'd need it. Blue was now sitting, tail twitching and ear flicking as she listened to the two men in front of her.

"Trust me, I have much more important things to be doing than keeping you out of trouble in another dimension." The black-haired man, Lance thought Ed had called him 'Mustang', said with an air of self-importance.

"What? Dodging Miss Riza because you keep slacking off doing your actual work?" Ed snorted derisively before a look of clarity overtook his face. "Truth told you where I was, didn't it? Like, took you into it's world and told you where I was." Ed asked, eyes narrowing at the man and Lance saw the older man shift a little. It reminded him of when he'd caught his little  _sobrino_  sneaking candy out of his  _hermana's_  bag. Ed's eyes gleamed gleefully. "Oh, it totally did! You  _bastard_! You asked it to send you here so you could escape your paperwork, didn't you?!" Ed exclaimed and even Lance looked worried about the evil glint Ed's golden eyes shone with.

"No." Mustang said and even Lance rolled his eyes at how unconvincingly he sounded. Ed was practically vibrating with how giddy he was.

"Because that sounded so convincing." Ed told him. "Just wait until I tell Miss Riza." He grinned and Lance watched as the older man paled considerably. It was quite fascinating at how pale the man got. Whoever this 'Miss Riza' was, Mustang seemed completely terrified of her. Lance low-key wanted to meet her.

"Fullmetal-" Mustang's voice was full commanding-officer but whatever he was saying was cut off with the appearance of the four other Lions, their Paladins and the Alteans racing into the corridor. The Lions pushed their way forward, Blue joining them, so they were in front of Edward. Black and Red brushed up against Ed as they moved forward and Ed felt them checking on him. Ed rolled his eyes at them but he did it fondly. Mustang eyed them cautiously as they made an impressive barricade between the flame alchemist and the rest of them. "So, what exactly is going on here?" Mustang asked, faux casual.

"Well, these five," Ed gestured to the Paladins, "are humans who are now inter-galactic space heroes who operate a massive, mechanical, sentient Lion spaceship which, coincidentally enough, are the Lions in front of you. The other two are the last known surviving members of an alien race known as Alteans that were wiped out 10, 000 years ago by the dude and the witch Truth has basically hired me to help them stop." Ed told him and Lance wasn't the only one impressed with how easily he'd managed to sum up the situation. Mustang looked mildly shocked but, to everyone except Ed's surprise, didn't look like he didn't think Ed was insane.

"Okay. So why do they look like they want to eat me but seem to like you?" Mustang asked, gesturing to the Lions.

"They've got good taste." Ed deadpanned. Lance snorted and Mustang looked done. Ed and the Paladins could sense the Lions amusement. "Seriously, Mustang. How are you even here?" Ed asked.

"Truth contacted me a few minutes ago-" Mustang started explaining but Ed shut him up with a 'hold on' gesture.

"What do you mean Truth contacted you a few minutes ago? How long have I been gone from Amestris?" Ed asked and Mustang's face twisted with confusion.

"Al reported you missing about nine hours ago." He told him and Ed cursed.

"And that fucking staticky bag of shit only just told you?" Ed demanded and Mustang nodded which sent Ed on a rather creative cursing streak. He only calmed down when Red knocked herself back into him. "Whatever. So why are you here?" Ed asked and Mustang raised a brow at the demanding tone but elected to ignore it for the moment.

"Like I was saying, Truth contacted me to let me know where you were and I offered my help. I was growing bored at work so we struck a deal. My help in exchange for a free trip back to Amestris without gaining more knowledge and Truth telling Alphonse, if it hadn't done so already." Mustang told him and Ed scowled.

"You're a fucking idiot. Miss Riza is actually going to murder you for this." Ed told him and Mustang shook his head.

"No, she wouldn't." Mustang said, somewhat comfortably.

"Actually, you're probably right. She'll just find every single sheet of paperwork you've hidden or avoided and chase up other soldiers who need to give you paperwork so your whole office is fucking flooded with it for you to deal with when we get back." Ed told him and had the pleasure of watching Mustang realise how right Ed likely would be.

"Fuck." Was the eloquent response and Ed snorted.

"You really fucked up this time." Ed told him and guffawed at his boss's pained expression.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but who is he?" Shiro asked and Ed recalled in that moment that he and Mustang were not, in fact, alone here. He looked back at the others to see curious, shocked and slightly alarmed looks on their faces.

"Ah, well, remember when I told you about a dick State Alchemist finding me and my brother after our accident then working for him?" They nodded and Ed swept an arm around to Mustang. "Meet that State Alchemist. This is Mustang." He introduced him and he heard Mustang sigh defeatedly.

"Brigadier-General Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist." Mustang introduced himself properly, glaring at Ed as he did so.

"Don't look at me like that. You know I care about your rank as much as I care about mine." Ed shrugged. Mustang sighed. The rest of them look amused and confused.

"Isn't he your boss?" Hunk asked Ed, who nodded. "So shouldn't you be, like, nicer to him?" Mustang looked like he wanted to either hug Hunk or lord triumphantly over Edward. Ed looked almost betrayed.

"Fuck no. Someone needs to make sure his ego doesn't grow any larger than it is." Ed said, causing Lance to hastily try to play his laugh off as a cough. The Lions amusement was magnified slightly.

"You're so rude." Mustang complained and Ed gave him a bored look.

"You'd think I was a clone or something if I wasn't." Ed told him and Mustang had to give him that. This, however, struck something with Allura, who took a couple steps forward.

"How do we know this is truly your Mustang? Maybe Haggar is playing a trick on us?" She said, voice worried and strained. Ed cocked his head in thought before looking at Mustang, who knew what he was thinking and nodded slightly.

"Well, I can check easy enough." He said before holding an arm parallel to the ground, palm facing Mustang and activated his tracking array. The usual energy rushed forward from him, swirling around him, causing his hair to whip around like it was caught in a windstorm. Lance, Mustang and the Lions were the only ones who didn't react to the physical signs of his array being active. It took barely three seconds before Ed shut it off, eyes dimming back to his normal golden colour, and looked back at Allura. "Yeah, it's him." He told her.

"What exactly did you just do?" Allura asked, eyes sparkling interestedly.

"It's a tracking array I created. It identifies people by their alchemic energy. Or it did but I think it now tracks their life force." Ed told her and Mustang's interest piqued.

"What makes you say that?" He asked. "Also, how did you do that without clapping?" He frowned and Ed flashed him a grin.

"Had to get something out of this deal from Truth, didn't I?" He smirked and Mustang looking mildly impressed. "And I think it tracks the life force because my array changed slightly. When I pictured it to use it to catch up with Blue, I noticed some small tweaks I could make and I did. When I used it just now, I saw you but I also saw them," he pointed to the Paladins, "and none of them, Allura excluded, can use alchemy. When I used it the first time in New York, the BAU agents showed up as just white energy when you showed up red. That was your alchemic energy. This time, these guys showed up as different shades of colours. Ergo, life force, not alchemic energy." Ed explained and Mustang nodded.

"You'll have to show me these changes. This difference will be very useful back home. Alchemists will be able to track non-alchemist criminals now." Mustang said, walking forward to stand next to Ed, watching the Lions carefully but they let him through. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, old man." He said and growled when Mustang ruffled his hair in retaliation. The Blue and Yellow Lions stepped forward and let out their own warning growls at Mustang. Ed laughed at Mustang's outraged expression.

"Why are they growling at me?" Mustang asked but Ed didn't get a chance to answer. "Actually, I think a full report is warranted, Fullmetal." He ordered the blonde and Ed rolled his eyes once again.

"Well, Lance, Blue and I were heading to join the others when you decided to avoid your paperwork in the most extreme way possible. Do you think Miss Riza would let me keep the bullet she shoots you with?" Ed asked, watching as, once again, all of the blood rushed from Mustang's face and Ed sniggered.

"Shall we move this conversation into the common room? I believe there is still breakfast leftover if you, Blue and Lance wish to eat while we talk." Allura suggested, effectively stopping anything Mustang could have said back.

"Oh, yeah, I made plenty of food!" Hunk told them and Lance let out a whoop of joy.

"Hunk, my bro, you are the light of my life and I'll fight anyone who tells you otherwise!" Lance exclaimed, giving the Yellow Paladin a hug Ed suspected would have actually hurt Hunk if he had been a smaller build. Hunk hugged Lance back with a bark of affectionate laughter.

"Come on, man, let's get you fed. You're too skinny. Yellow could eat you for a snack." Hunk elbowed him playfully and Lance laughed heartily. Ed's interest was piqued because, well, food and he was interested in seeing how good a chef Hunk really was.

"Come on, Mustang. I wanna see what space food tastes like." Ed told him, shoving the older man forward, perhaps a little harshly considering he used his right arm to do so. Mustang stumbled a step or two before Ed's words caught up to him.

"Wait- what do you mean 'space food'?" Mustang asked, looking at Ed like he'd gone insane. Ed pulled a face.

"Mustang, how long were you standing there before Blue found you?" He asked and the black-haired alchemist thought for a moment.

"A minute? Dimension travel through the Gate is not smooth." Mustang sniffed and Ed gave an epic eye roll.

"You're just old. But you didn't think to look out the massive fucking window next to you to figure out where you were?" Ed asked incredulously. Mustang didn't answer but that was an answer in itself. Ed sighed and turned the man back to the window. "We're in space. Literally on a spaceship in outer space." He said, pointing at the window for Mustang to look out of.

Mustang wouldn't have been surprised if his jaw actually touched the floor. He could feel his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing despite the fact that he was literally looking at space. Now that he was looking out of the window, he could see Edward wasn't puling his leg but that he was literally in outer space. He could see the swirls of colour and distant stars. He watched as they drifted past a planet that looked nothing like the ones Garcia had shown himself and Ed on their last dimension trip. He saw distant galaxies and even more planets. Small meteorites drifted nearby, one glancing off of something that flashed blue before it could impact the ship.

"What did Truth drag us into this time?" Mustang asked as he kept his eyes on the outside, in awe and curiousity and a little bit in disbelief still.

"Ah, first off, Truth dragged  _me_  into this; you turned up on your own accord. Secondly; we're about to talk about all of this shit so if you'll just follow everyone, you'll probably get a proper answer." Ed told him and the response delivered in typical Edward Elric fashion was the main reason Mustang was able to tear his eyes from the sight in front of him.

"If you keep that attitude up, I'll court-martial you." Mustang threatened half-heartedly, more out of habit than anything. His mind was still comprehending the fact he was on a spaceship in space. He did hear a couple of gasps and mutters.

"Oh, please. You wouldn't because you haven't done so before." Ed scoffed and forced Mustang to start walking back to the others. "Now hurry up. I'm hungry and you're holding us up." He said and this time, Mustang was the one to roll his eyes.

They split into two groups again when they got closer to the common room again. Shiro and Black offered to go with Lance, Blue and Edward to get their food. Mustang tagged along with that group, ignoring offers to be escorted to the common room. Ed shrugged when Shiro looked at him for some help so Shiro left it. Lance was basically singing Hunk's praises as they headed for the kitchen. Lance practically squealed with delight when he spotted the breakfast that had been set aside for them. Blue made an excited noise and they both dived in with gusto.

"He made French toast! We don't deserve him, Blue!" He groaned in delight as he took a bite and Ed felt Blue agree but he was more stunned with the food than anything.

"It's purple." He said and Shiro nodded. "French toast is not supposed to be purple." Ed told him and Shiro laughed a little.

"Yeah this isn't made with Earth food. Our allies give us supplies which includes food safe for us to eat. Hunk experiments and he actually has managed to recreate a lot of Earth dishes with alien food. It is safe to eat, I promise." Shiro told him and Ed absolutely did not look convinced, even though Lance was currently eating a second helping.

 _"It's safe for you to eat, little alchemist. I swear."_  Black told him and Ed sighed as his stomach gave a soft, warning growl.

"Fine." Ed said before grabbing a plate and helping himself to the food. He could see Mustang from the corner of his eye and knew the man was hoping for him to spit the food back out in disgust. To Ed's pleasant surprise, the food tasted almost exactly like French toast and he dug into it with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm. Mustang looked slightly disappointed. Black and Shiro both looked smug. It didn't take long for Ed, Lance and Blue to finish eating their fill with the speed they were consuming the food at but by the time they were done, there was no food left and there were three very satisfied stomachs.

"Come on. We should go and meet up with the others. Assuming no one else decides to drop in." Shiro said dryly and Ed huffed.

"I doubt anyone else will. Truth should've told Al by now but he won't follow me here. He'll want to but he'll know Mustang is gone and didn't tell anyone he was following me so Al will stay in Amestris to make sure Miss Riza, the rest of the team and Miss Gracia know where we are." Ed told him, shooting a glare at Mustang but hoping up from his seat to join them while waiting for Lance and Blue.

* * *

 

Once the Lion and her Paladin did rejoin their group, they headed for the common room. Black and Blue were next to their Paladins but made sure Ed was in between them as well. Mustang walked behind and to the left of Ed and was busy observing their surroundings. They walked in comfortable silence and were soon in the common room and sitting in the space left for them.

Shiro took the last armchair and Black joined him, curling up next to his seat. Blue jumped up on the couch and Lance sat next to her head so she laid it in his lap. Ed sat in front of Blue so he could lean back against her body if he wanted to. She flicked an ear but didn't react otherwise so he assumed it was okay and was proven right when she curled up slightly around him. Mustang sat next to Edward in the space Blue had left between her and Hunk and Yellow. He eyed the Yellow Lion cautiously but she paid him no mind, happily lapping up the soft pats Hunk was giving her. Green and Pidge were next to Hunk and Yellow, with Green balanced on the edge of the back of the couch while Pidge nestled against the back of the couch and had Green's paw draped over her shoulder. Keith and Red were sitting next to each other, Red eyeing up Mustang from the moment he walked in. Keith had an arm casually draped over Red. Coran and Allura had occupied the two seater couch and the second armchair and were happy to see the five of them walk in.

"Now that everyone is here," Allura started speaking, drawing everyone's attention to her. Red's ear flicked back to show she was listening but she still had her eyes on Mustang, "let's get the introductions out of the way before we move on to what we're here for, shall we?" She suggested and Coran clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

"A marvelous idea, Princess." He told her, eyes glinting at her approvingly before he focused on Mustang. "I am Coran, royal adviser to Princess Allura. I upkeep the Castle-ship's systems and defenses and I look after all of the day-to-day matters for the residents of the Castle-ship." He said, twisting the end of his mustache.

"I am Princess Allura of Altea. Coran and I are the last surviving members of our race." Allura saw the comforting and grief-filled look Coran sent her way. "These five humans are the Paladins of Voltron and these are their Lions." She said, glancing at Shiro who took the hint.

"I'm Takashi Shirogane, or Shiro, and this is Black." He introduced, resting his Galran hand on her head. "You've met Lance and Blue already. Hunk and Yellow are next to you. Pidge and Green are next to them and that's Keith and Red on the end there." Shiro finished up and Mustang glanced at each Paladin as they were introduced.

"I'm Brigadier-General Roy Mustang of the Amestrian Military, also known as the Flame Alchemist." He reintroduced himself, tacking on his State Alchemist title because he imagined that was probably an important detail.

"Also known as a massive bastard." Ed muttered, loud enough to be heard by everyone. Mustang cuffed him upside the back of the head and Ed scowled but didn't have to retaliate when Red let out a warning growl that had Mustang jumping back slightly. Red's tail flicked against Keith's side as she watched Mustang with renewed scrutiny.

"Okay, what did I do to incur their hate?" Mustang asked as he watched Red warily. Keith was struggling not to smirk. Ed guessed Red was telling him exactly what he did but was blocking it from Ed himself.

"Why don't you ask them yourself" Ed snappishly suggested and Mustang looked at him like he'd suggested taking a walk outside.

"Maybe because I don't speak lion?" He snarked back and Ed looked properly confused and looked back at Blue.

"Can't he hear you?" He asked and Mustang's eyebrows nearly flew off his face in surprise as he watched his subordinate casually address a lion like he really thought it'd answer him.

 _"No. He's not bonded to us. We spoke to you because we sensed there was something very special about you. When you activated that array for us, we would've been able to talk to you anyway simply because you imbued your energy in that array. It would've created an automatic bond. For the moment, none of us will speak to your boss. For us, you have to be bonded to us closely to hear us. It took our current Paladins a little while to develop a bond deep enough with us so we could talk."_  Blue explained and Ed let out a soft 'huh'. He hadn't realised speaking with them was such a big deal. He flushed a little at the warm feeling he got and ruffled Blue's ears when she cooed at him. He felt the other Lions confirm what Blue had said and he flushed a little deeper.

"They don't like you." Ed said simply and Mustang looked offended, confused and curious all at once. It was rather amusing to look at those emotions playing out on the man's face.

"So they told you that?" He asked disbelievingly and Ed would have bristled except he knew how unbelievable it sounded. Hell, if someone had told him a day ago that he would be talking to a bunch of sometimes real, sometimes giant and mechanical Lions, he wouldn't have believed them either.

"Yeah. They can each talk to their Paladin and they can all talk to me." Ed told him and Mustang's eyes narrowed as he looked for any sign, no matter how minuscule, that Ed was fucking with him but he found none. Instead, he only saw complete honesty in the teen's face.

"Okay." Mustang said easily. The lack of argument or disbelief seemed to surprise a lot of the others. Only the aliens seemed to not realise how odd it was that Mustang believed Ed about being able to hear the Lions talking to him in his head so readily. Mustang ignored them, focusing on the princess instead. "Now, do you think you can explain why Truth asked Fullmetal to help you guys?"

"Of course but first, can I ask you a question? I must admit this is more for my own personal curiousity than anything else." Allura asked and Mustang gave her a 'go ahead' nod. "You said you're a 'flame alchemist'? But when Edward introduced himself, he called himself the 'Fullmetal alchemist'? Is there a reason for these titles?" She asked. Mustang noted the others all moved in some way that gave away their curiousity about his answer.

"Fullmetal and I are part of our State Alchemist branch of the military. When we were accepted the then-Fuhrer gave us our titles. They're code names and ways to identify us and our alchemy." Mustang told them. "I'm known as the Flame Alchemist because my alchemic specialty is fire. I am the only alchemist in Amestris and the only known alchemist in any other country that can use fire alchemy." He said rather smugly.

"Only because I haven't bothered to learn it." Ed told him flatly and Mustang ignored him.

"So is Edward known as Fullmetal because his specialty is to do with metal?" Allura asked and pouted when Mustang shook his head.

"Fullmetal gained his title because of his automail." Mustang told her. Ed pretended not to see the glance Mustang gave to get him to take the lead here. He was curious to see how his boss would answer the inevitable follow up question.

"So what's his specialty?" Keith asked, a tad brusquely. Shiro gave him an admonishing look but Keith either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Fullmetal doesn't have a specialty as such." Mustang answered after a moment, just in case Ed decided to. "He is an alchemic genius and is able to use just about every type of alchemy that is available to him. If he doesn't know how to use it, he'll study everything he can find about it and will be an expert in that field in no time." Mustang told them and even Ed looked stunned.

"Damn, Mustang, that was actually nice. You feeling okay?" Ed said after a beat. He could feel the looks the others were giving him and he could sense the Lions silently appraising Mustang.

"Oh, shut up, brat." Mustang said, ruffling Ed's hair and laughing when Ed muttered some unpleasant things about him. He instead turned his attention back to the Altean princess. "Does that satisfy your curiousity, Princess Allura?" He asked politely and ignored Ed's muttered 'diplomatic suck-up' that caused Lance to snort violently.

"Yes. Thank you very much for answering my questions. I would love to see both of your alchemy in action, if I may?" She asked and Mustang and Ed shared a look.

"You got somewhere you don't mind getting a little damaged and where you'd be safe observing?" Ed asked, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Yes. I believe the training room would be sufficient. We can observe from the control deck." Coran answered for her.

"Than I will be more than happy to kick Mustang's arse in an alchemic brawl after we've actually talked." Ed told her and Mustang scoffed.

"As if you could beat me, short stack." He ribbed and let out a pained gasp as Ed introduced his left elbow to the man's abdomen.

"This would be an alchemic and hand-to-hand fight, Mustang. Need I remind you that you are not one of the people who can beat me in at least one aspect?" He said, voice falsely sweet.

"We'll see about that, you little shit." Mustang growled as he rubbed his new bruise. Ed's answering grin was all teeth.

"Wow, I didn't there was anyone more competitive that Lance and Keith." Pidge mock-whispered, causing Hunk to laugh and the two mentioned Paladins to immediately shout their denial.

"Okay, guys." Shiro said, voice obviously amused as he spoke over the others, grabbing their attention. "How about we actually talk about what we're in here to discuss?" He suggested and Allura nodded curtly.

"Yes, let's." She agreed primly before facing the two two alchemists. "Where shall we start?" She sounded like she was talking more to herself than them but Mustang still answered.

"Actually, Princess, if you don't mind; I'd like to ask Fullmetal a question before we get into this talk." He spoke with the same voice he would have used were he addressing Fuhrer Grumman. She looked mildly startled but gestured for him to go ahead. Ed was watching him suspiciously. "What did you promise Truth in exchange for helping?" He asked the blonde alchemist.

"Your soul." Ed replied, completely straight-faced. Mustang stared at him for three heartbeats before Ed burst into gut-busting laughter, wrapping an arm around his middle and leaning forward as he laughed. Lance, Pidge and Hunk all laughed as well. Mustang looked slightly pissed. The others either didn't know how to react or simply indulged in nothing beyond amused smiles. Ed straightened up and wiped his eyes clear of tears. "Oh man, you should have seen your face! Fuck, that was classic, Mustang!" He giggled uncontrollably. He managed to pull himself together after a few more seconds. The other three laughing followed suit shortly after.

"That was beautiful, man." Lance wheezed, patting Ed's shoulder. Mustang didn't think he liked the budding friendship between these two; he had a feeling he'd be their primary victim.

"Cheers, Lance." Ed said as he calmed down completely before looking back at Mustang. "I had Truth promise to contact you or Al, protect my automail like it did during our first trip, give me the last bits of knowledge I needed for clap-less transmutation and promise to let me travel back through the Gates with no charge or to return my body to Amestris if I died in this dimension." He told him and Mustang's face fell at the last part, like the thought of Ed dying was too upsetting, before he managed to get his mask back into place.

"Good." Mustang said simply. Ed quirked a brow but didn't question the reasoning behind his needing to know right then. "Thank you, Princess. Now, could you perhaps start with why Fullmetal was sent here?" He asked politely and Allura nodded, clasping her hands together on her lap.

"Of course." She said. "Truth sent Edward here to help us take care of a very powerful witch who is committed to assisting an equally powerful enemy in his demented quest to gain control of the entire universe. This war has been ongoing for 10,000 years with these two driving the Galran empire towards this goal. We," she gestured to the Paladins and herself and Coran, "have only been on the front lines for a few months and have made a lot of headway in liberating planets that have been under Galran control and stopping more from being over-taken. We've gained some powerful allies and have caused significant damage to the Galran army but for every planet we save, the Galran gain control of two more. Despite the headway we've made, it won't matter unless we can defeat Zarkon or his witch. That is what Truth has asked Edward to help us with. If he can take down Haggar, I believe Zarkon will fall shortly after and we will gain the upper-hand in this war." Allura told him adamantly. Mustang had to admire her conviction and her words seemed to have a positive effect on the Paladins.

"If Ed can help us win against Haggar and Zarkon, we can go home quicker." Lance almost whispered, voice ripe with hope. Blue snuggled closer to him and Ed flashed him a small smile. Ed knew that his determination to see these people as nothing more than reluctant teammates was slowly fading and being replaced with maybe-friendship.

"Okay. Now, what is a Galran, why do they want to take over the universe, and how have two of them been calling shots for 10,000 years?" Mustang asked and Allura sat forward.

"Those questions require a lengthy answer." Allura warned but Mustang only nodded his acceptance. "Okay. To answer your first question; a Galran is a race of Aliens that used to be allies of my race, Alteans. 10,000 years ago, my father, King Alfor, created five sentient mechanical ships, called 'Voltron', and entrusted each of them to four of his closest friends, piloting one of them himself. To do achieve this, he used a mixture of alchemy and our technology and the result were the five Lions you see around you." She told him and that caused Mustang to physically flinch with surprise.

"These Lions are spaceships?" He asked, gesturing to Yellow and the others.

"Yes. We'll show you their other forms later. Now, shush." Ed scolded, taking a small amount of pleasure in it. Mustang, judging from the glare he sent Ed's way, could tell.

"My apologies, Princess." Mustang said with a dip of his head.

"It's no problem." She assured him before continuing. "We're not entirely sure why but Zarkon betrayed my father and our home planet. Before Zarkon destroyed Altea, my father trapped myself and Coran in cryo-pods to save our lives and so we could spearhead the effort to defeat Zarkon and his followers when we were awoken by the arrival of the new Paladins of Voltron." Ed felt himself lean back into Blue as he listened to the explanation Allura had given him the night before. He relaxed as he felt the Lion start purring in response and indulged her with pats with his right hand as his attention switched between the Altean Princess and his boss.


	6. Chapter 6

Ed hadn't been forced to sit in on a strategy meeting in a long time (for good reason; he was very destructive when bored and strategy meetings were boring) and the only reason he hadn't tried leaving yet was because this was probably the only strategy meeting that was actually interesting.

They'd been told about the whole war. Every single detail that the Alteans or the Paladins had been able to give them was given. The Lions had piped up with some small tidbits they'd remembered from before Altea's destruction. Black had passed along any information she had with a voice drowning in immense regret and a tinge of betrayal. Ed wanted to ask about it but she had flicked her eyes over to him, begging him silently to leave it for now. He'd honoured that request and simply listened to the information being given to them.

"Do you have any documents or the like that Fullmetal and I might be able to go over? Videos of Haggar using her magic or whatever it is would be exceptionally useful." Mustang asked after the two Amestrians were brought fully up to speed.

"Of course. Every piece of information, including videos and pictures, we've managed to gather ourselves or with the help of our various allies is in the briefing room. I believe the Lions record every battle as do the Paladin's helmets. Pidge and Hunk upload those recordings after every battle to the Castle's systems. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to where we keep them." Allura said, standing up smoothly. Coran was immediately by her side before anyone else had even managed to get to their feet.

"Thank you, Princess Allura." Mustang said, bowing slightly, once he'd gotten to his feet. Ed felt Blue push him from behind to get him up but he was half convinced the Lion had done it on purpose and sent a half-glare her way. She pretended to ignore it. Lance let out a soft huff of laughter at the two of them as they all followed the Princess out of the room. Ed felt something push up against his flesh hand and looked down to find Black at his side.

"What's up?" He asked. All of the Lions had been practically glued to their Paladins sides so having Black willingly seek him out when Shiro was nearly out of the room already had him raising a confused brow.

 _"I wanted to thank you."_  Black told him as she nuzzled his hand carefully. The numbing stuff, Ed realised, was still in effect because he couldn't feel it hurting.

"Uh, why?" He asked, getting back to the conversation.

 _"You noticed something was wrong with me but you respected my wish and left it alone. So, thank you for that."_  Black told him and Ed made a small noise of confusion.

"You don't have to thank me for that. You obviously weren't ready to talk about what was upsetting you. I get that." Ed told her, giving her a couple of pats. She purred loudly and Ed swore he could feel the vibrations through the floor as well as his arm. The feeling made him chuckle as he and Black both caught up with the rest of the group and entered a darker room with a console and tables. They gathered around the main console at the princess's urging. The Lions decided to simply investigate the room instead.

"What would you like to look at first?" Allura asked as she poised her fingers over the screens in front of her.

"I'd like to see Haggar in action if possible." Ed said before looking at Shiro. "You good with that?" He asked the older boy, ignoring Mustang's confused face.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Shiro said and Ed nodded before looking at Allura and waiting for her to so whatever she had to do. She thought for a moment before her face lit up as she thought of something.

"Here's a video that Shiro's helmet recorded of his fight with the witch. Hunk and I joined in at the end so some of Hunk's helmet recording will be included. I believe that is the best video we have of her using her powers." She told Ed and Mustang as she made a gesture and the video popped up on the screen closest to the two alchemists. Ed noted that Shiro didn't watch the video as it started playing.

It started with Haggar simply transporting herself around quickly enough to avoid Shiro's blows before she used some sort of energy to blast him backwards, calling him 'champion' and berating him for using the powers she gave him for something as pathetic as this. Shiro dodged her energy blasts, something that had Ed standing up a little straighter as he watched. Then a billow of black smoke-like substance swirled around Haggar and suddenly Shiro was being lifted off of his feet by his throat by a perfect mimicry of himself with the exception of the rags he was wearing and the freaky yellow eyes. Then the video blacked out for a few seconds, nearly a minute, before coming back online to show Shiro surrounded by dozens of Haggars. Ed's eyes narrowed, as did Mustang's, as they watched Shiro slash through a few copies of the witch only for her to burst into nothing. The real Haggar landed a hit and both alchemists winced as Shiro was thrown back.

The video perspective changed suddenly, throwing Mustang and Ed for a moment but they adjusted quick enough. The video flicked from Shiro and the dozens of Haggars to Allura's face as Hunk had obviously looked between the two. Allura suddenly yelled and pointed for Hunk to shoot at a specific Haggar. Hunk never hesitated and unleashed four or so cannon blasts. The witch's look of complete shock told both alchemists that she either couldn't sense the two newcomers or she was so arrogant in her abilities that she didn't think anyone would have found them. She was surrounded by dust and smoke from the blasts while Allura and Hunk helped Shiro to his feet. The smoke cleared and there was a glimpse of a transparent energy shield and a snarling Haggar before smoke blocked their view of her again. They made it a few steps when Hunk turned for some reason to look back at the witch only for her not to be there at all. His questioning her disappearance had Allura and Shiro moving faster before Allura stopped the video.

"We got back to the Lions and I got back to the Castle-ship and wormholed out of there but Haggar did something to corrupt the wormhole and the Lions and their Paladins fell through and we were separated." Allura explained as she flicked her hand and the video disappeared. "What are your thoughts?" She asked, standing with her arms folded neatly in front of her. Everyone else watched as the alchemists looked at each other.

"How did you know which Haggar was the real one?" Ed asked and Allura blinked before clearing her throat.

"Shiro and Hunk told me that all of the Haggars looked identical and solid but, to me, the fakes looked transparent, like ghosts or holograms. The real Haggar was the only one who looked solid to me." Allura told him and Ed looked like he'd had a hypothesis proven correct.

"Can Galrans use alchemy?" He asked and Allura looked at Coran before they both shook their heads.

"No. I've never heard of any Galran being able to use alchemy. The closest Zarkon ever came to using alchemy was when he married Honerva, an Altean alchemist and friend of King Alfor's." Coran answered.

"Well, we know that Galrans can't live this long but can Alteans live for 10,000 years?" Ed asked and Allura and Coran immediately shook their heads.

"No. Our lifespan may be significantly longer than a human's but it's definitely not that long." Allura said. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm thinking that the reason you could see through Haggar's magic is because it's alchemy. No big surprise there since Truth did tell us she used alchemy. But, I think it's Altean. From what Coran just said, I'd bet that Haggar is Honerva. That whatever Zarkon did to achieve his immortality, or ridiculously long life span, Honerva must have done the same thing and that's why you could see through it." Ed told her and Mustang nodded.

"It makes sense. I couldn't tell which Haggar was real and, unless Fullmetal could, it makes sense the alchemy is Altean for you to be able to tell the difference." Mustang said and Allura wasn't the only one of them who looked completely shocked by this revelation. In fact, Allura looked like her whole world had been tipped upside down.

"You think she's Altean?" Allura asked and Ed shrugged.

"I don't know for sure. I'd have to get a look at her energy to know for certain." Ed told her and this time, Mustang joined in on the confusion. "What?" Ed asked. The Lions had joined them again by now and were as confused with everyone's confusion as Ed was.

"How would looking at her energy help with that?" Keith was the one to ask.

"Well, because your life force looks different to theirs? I'm assuming a Galran's life force would look different to yours and to the Alteans." Ed said, looking perplexed when that didn't seem to clear up the matter. "So most of you guys have the same energy, just different colours. Allura and Coran's are similar to each other but different to yours. Mustang and mine would look a lot more like yours but ours is still different enough to know that we don't come from the same world you do. So if Haggar is Altean, hers would look similar to Allura and Coran's life forces." Ed told them and watched as the confusion was cleared up for each of them.

"Why didn't you tell me about that before?" Mustang asked demandingly and Ed felt his temper flare.

"Exactly how many aliens have you met before now? How the fuck would I know our life forces would look different when using the array?" He asked angrily and Mustang didn't back down.

"You've used that array to track Harding and Moore. You should've been able to tell when you saw the BAU and NCIS teams energy through it." Mustang said snippily and Ed growled.

"Yeah. When my array tracked  _alchemic energy_. All it looked for and identified was if someone had any alchemic energy. That means that all it told me was 'yes that person is glowing a certain colour so that's alchemy' or 'nope, no colour so no alchemy'. I told you, I made adjustments to that array before I used it when you turned up.  _Now_  it tracks life energy." Ed snapped and the five Lions all stood up from where they were laying. "I literally couldn't have told you shit about our life forces before now because the array never tracked them!" Mustang looked slightly taken aback by the anger in Ed's voice, having not had to deal with a typical Edward Elric response in quite a while.

"How was I supposed to know the array had changed?" Mustang asked, trying to save face. It wasn't a fun feeling; being yelled at by a teenager in front of a bunch of people you don't know.

"I fucking told you I adjusted the array, you bastard! When your dumb arse decided to dimension hop to avoid your fucking job and I used the array to make sure it was you, I  _told_  you I'd made some changes to it and you just said 'oh well that's great. Gotta tell the military so we can use it to track down non-alchemist criminals'." Ed was practically yelling at this point.

"So you'd be able to tell whether there are non-Galrans aboard the ships with that array you used earlier?" Allura asked, hoping this question would stop the fighting before it became physical.

"Yes." Ed said, harsher than called for but she let it slide considering he was still glaring at his commanding officer. "Normally I have a limit to how much area I can cover. At home, I can cover an area as big as this ship, maybe more on a good day. The last time I dimension-hopped, I used my array and could stretch it nearly a kilometre away from me but that caused me to collapse from exhaustion. Here though? I don't know what my limit would be. Alchemic energy is readily available here for me to absorb and use. Hell, I was barely out of breath after giving these guys enough energy for their first transformation. A tracking array uses as much energy as I'm capable of giving it. Since I can replace the energy faster than I can use it, I can cover a bigger area for longer." He explained to her and his voice became less sharp and more friendly as he spoke. He'd turned his back fully on his commanding officer so he could face Allura directly and the gesture's meaning was blatantly obvious to everyone.

Watching the blonde turn his back on him in a clear message of 'I'm still pissed off; don't talk to me' made Mustang sigh internally and berate himself. He didn't mean to rile the blonde up like that but the talk about Edward's array being able to identify different species was the last straw with how much mind-blowing, life-altering stuff he could take in. He knew the only reason he wasn't freaking out or lying curled up somewhere, catatonic, was because of how well-crafted his mask was and because his youngest subordinate was there with him. Unfortunately, his brain couldn't keep everything bottled up and was in desperate need for something familiar. Arguing with Edward about him not telling him something? That was familiar.

Looking around himself, subtle enough not to draw attention to himself, he saw all five Lions watching him and gulped a little at the far too clever eyes gazing back at him. He wasn't used to dealing with an animal that was so obviously intelligent, perhaps even more than he was. Right now, the Lions looked torn between wanting to eat him alive or letting him live. The leader of the pack, the Black Lion, seemed to look at him like she was reading his mind before she made a soft noise that had her sisters backing off him slightly while Ed spoke to the Princess.

"If you wouldn't mind me making use of that ability, I would be very appreciative if you could scan each ship we come across for prisoners. If you can keep the array active for long periods of time, I may even ask if you could accompany the team when they have to board Galran ships or have ground missions. You may be able to prevent ambushes and help save native inhabitants of the planets who are being held hostage." Allura barely managed to hide how high her hopes were that Edward would help them out this way. She did not doubt his ability as a fighter but this would help them out far more than having just another weapon on the ground.

"I don't know. I've never used that array while moving." He told her hesitantly. "I could probably scan ships like you asked but accompanying the team while we infiltrate a ship or whatnot may be more difficult. Let me test it out here first before I give you an actual answer. If I can do it, I will." He nodded decisively at her and she released the breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"Thank you, Edward." She said with a small bow. Ed flapped a hand dismissively.

"I don't even know if it's possible yet so don't thank me." He told her, a little worried she fully expected him to be able to keep the array going while on the move.

"I have every faith that you'll be able to accomplish this. I have a feeling that there isn't much you can't accomplish once you've set your mind to it." Allura said, giving Edward a small but genuine smile. Mustang snorted at her rather polite way of saying she found Edward to be a stubborn little shit. His snort earned him a glare from the blonde. He'd have to apologise to him before too long.

"I'll see what I can do, Princess." Ed promised and she seemed satisfied with that.

"Oh, please, just call me Allura. We don't stand on formality too much around here." She told him and both Ed and Mustang gave her a nod of acceptance. Allura clasped her hands in front of her chest as she looked at them hopefully. "Now, I was rather hoping you could tell us about your other dimension travels and show us your abilities. We won't be able to do much planning for Haggar and Zarkon until we know where they are and I'll admit I am rather curious you two." She said it in a way that was nearly pleading. Mustang didn't think he liked the sudden malicious glint in his subordinates eyes.

"Of course, Miss Allura." He agreed, causing the Altean Princess to light up with happiness. The others perked up with interest. "How about Mustang and I tell you about our travels then we head to that room you said wouldn't get damaged easily and Mustang and I spar?" He offered and Mustang would have sighed out loud if he hadn't expected something like this. Edward didn't want an apology from him; he was gonna get retribution with his fists, it seemed.

"Oh that sounds wonderful! Having you two fight against each other would be the best way for you two to show us your capabilities." Allura praised, not realising what everyone else seemed to have picked up on. The Lions were watching Mustang with renewed interest, like they could already see how the fight was going to go.

"Awesome. So it's settled." Edward said, shooting Mustang what would look like an innocent smile to anyone who didn't know him. "What would you like to know, Miss Allura?" Ed asked the princess before Mustang tried to weasel his way out.

"Well, we heard about your war already and while I am admittedly curious about the finer points of that, I'd really like to hear about these dimensional journeys you've already undertaken." Allura said, eyes sparkling delightedly. Ed watched as everyone seemed to make themselves slightly more comfortable, most of the Paladins choosing to lean against or fully lie on their Lions. The Lions didn't seem to mind; in fact, Ed could sense their happiness at being able to do this with their humans.

"Okay. So we've traveled twice to the same dimension but to different cities, just in case you thought each trip was to a different dimension completely. I'm fairly certain we are back in the same dimension, just not on Earth." Ed explained, clearing that up before he got into the actual story. "So, I told you lot about the original deal I made with Truth when we'd defeated Father. To get Al back completely, I promised Truth my right arm and a favour. It could cash it in at any time and it did so about three months after Father's defeat. Al was still in hospital and Mustang had come by with a file on a missing State Alchemist. He needed me to decipher some security arrays and create arrays to deactivate them so he and his team could enter the alchemist's home to find out where he went without being killed." Ed said, causing Mustang to grimace slightly but the man couldn't refute what Ed told them. "Naturally, Truth decided that that was an excellent moment to abduct me so it could cash in that favour. Mustang came with because apparently my chance of survival went up if he did. So, Truth explained what it needed, we agreed and we were thrown through a portal of some sort and landed at the feet of some FBI agents." Ed paused to breathe but was interrupted by Lance.

"What did Truth need?" Lance asked and flushed slightly when all eyes turned to him.

"An alchemist managed to slip past the Gate and travel to your dimension a month beforehand. This alchemist then went on a killing spree, using his alchemy combined with a stone as the murder weapon. Truth couldn't intervene itself so it decided to use it's favour and have me go into that dimension to stop the alchemist." Ed told him. "We later found out we were in New York City in America where our rogue alchemist, Thomas Harding, had murdered four people. I woke up first and was confronted by a BAU team from the FBI who had been sent out to investigate the deaths. No one knew how or why he was killing them or even who he was before we turned up. So we teamed up with Agents Hotchner, Prentiss, Rossi, Morgan, Jareau and Doctor Reid as well as their technical analyst, Miss Garcia to find answers to those questions. We told them the truth about us, I made an awesome dagger to prove what I could do and we had a look at their files." Mustang then stepped in for Edward, giving the blonde the chance to have a breather.

"We discovered the serial killer they were after was the rogue alchemist Truth wanted Fullmetal to capture. His victims were the reflections of fellow State Alchemists in Amestris and he was killing them using his alchemic specialty." Mustang said as Ed made an angry noise at that. "He was boiling their blood while they were alive." He heard the gasps and saw the disgust and felt himself nodding slightly. "So we told the BAU everything we knew about Harding. Fullmetal and I offered what assistance we could during our stay and managed to catch up with him soon after we found his fifth victim. Fullmetal tracked him enough to give the police a lead and after a few hours, they found him. The BAU joined us and we headed out to where Harding was reported to be and confronted him. There was a fight and Fullmetal ended up causing Harding's stone to rebound. Unfortunately, that rebound hadn't been strong enough to kill or incapacitate Harding and he kept attacking. We were forced to use fatal methods to stop him." Mustang told them steadily. He didn't miss the little wince Ed gave at the reminder of Harding's end. He was sure the wince was caught by some, if not most, of their audience.

"So, who was this 'DiNozzo' you mentioned?" Allura asked, drawing Ed out of his thoughts before he could go too deep. Mustang silently applauded her for being able to hide her worry so well. He doubted many other people would have been able to tell. He only could because he was so good at reading the tiniest of tells in his superiors masks.

"Ah, we met him during our second trip." Ed said and launched into this retelling. "So, the day my brother was cleared to rejoin me on my missions, Mustang called us in to give us a job. A General's home had been hit as part of a string of robberies and break ins and Mustang was ordered to find the criminal. So, naturally, he passed it onto me." Ed told them. "The day after, Al and I literally ran into the suspect, Jarrod Moore, and took chase. We ended up in the warehouse district when we lost him but he decided to fire a couple of rounds at Al so we found him pretty quickly. Unfortunately, we found out he'd laid a trap for me and Mustang. There was an array drawn on the warehouse floor and completely covered by dust and dirt. Moore activated it just after I got Al out of the circle but I was caught and sent to the same dimension but a different city. I wound up in Washington D.C. and in a NCIS carpark. That's how I met Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee and David and Director Vance. I was escorted inside the building and got cleaned up and patched up by their coroner, Doctor Mallard, before calling Miss Penelope and getting to talk to the BAU agents so I'd have people I knew around me." Ed told them before looking pointedly at Mustang, who took the hint and started speaking.

"Alphonse had secured Moore and contacted my office as soon as he could to inform us of Fullmetal's disappearance. Naturally, Alphonse was very distraught and we could barely decipher what he was saying. Once we'd gotten an address out of him, my team and I headed straight for the location. Myself and my subordinate, Colonel Hawkeye, went to find Alphonse while my other subordinates fanned out to look for Fullmetal or any more traps. When we found Alphonse, he was more composed but still upset. Hawkeye stayed with him while I headed to talk to Moore." Mustang told them. Ed took the opportunity to lean against the table behind him. "What I didn't realise was that Moore was still in possession of some Philosopher's Stones. Alphonse had been so worried about his brother, he had neglected to search Moore properly. Moore got himself loose and tackled me so we both ended up on the array and activated before Hawkeye or Alphonse had made it into the room. I blacked out and woke up to find Moore and Fullmetal fighting. I blocked one of Moore's attacks and he used the opportunity to escape."

"Why did Moore attack you two?" Shiro asked and Ed stood up straighter.

"Turned out Harding had basically adopted Moore as his brother and Moore knew Harding had made it to another dimension. He was meant to come back after a month to take Moore with him but Mustang and I were sent there to stop Harding before he got the chance. We told the military that our confrontation had happened outside of a small, remote town that barely made it onto the maps but Moore knew enough of the truth to figure out we'd killed Harding in a separate dimension and he was out for revenge. His plan was to get us to this dimension and take us out before living how he wanted to live." Ed told them. "It obviously didn't work as he planned because, ya know," he waved a hand between him and Mustang, "we're still alive." Keith and Lance snorted while Mustang rolled his eyes and picked up the story.

"After meeting the NCIS agents myself and getting through the tedious explanation of our world and abilities and being joined by the BAU team, we started helping the agents with their search for Moore. We also managed to get a note to Alphonse when he and another exceptionally powerful alchemist attempted to open the portal with instructions to wait for a set amount of time before trying again." Mustang said. "We ended up finding him on some surveillance cameras talking to some junkies and homeless people and, after sending some agents out, we found out he was amassing a cult following. He had convinced this people that he was given powers from God for the sole purpose to kill myself and Fullmetal. Those he couldn't convince his gifts were religious, he paid them by using a stone to turn things into gold and jewels and paying them, promising them untold riches if they helped him. After identifying his second and thirds in command, the agents split up to interview their family and friends. Agents DiNozzo and David were first to finish their list thus being first to arrive back to the office. They got a lead about a possible building Moore was hiding out in and Fullmetal joined them. The lead didn't pan out but Fullmetal and Agent David were kidnapped when they stopped to get some lunch." Mustang told them and Allura looked horrified.

"We escaped pretty much as soon as we got to the building they planned on holding us in. Honestly, I've been kidnapped plenty of times and they get a solid 3/10." Ed told them. "As we escaped, Moore turned up and ran after us. I knew I needed to do something to get the agents and Mustangs attention so Miss Ziva and I headed for the building we'd investigated earlier. We found a kid with a phone and offered to pay him if he uploaded a video of me using alchemy to the internet. I made the building completely unstable, Moore caught up with his two top goons and I took the two goons out while fighting Moore. When the building finally collapsed, the dust cloud gave me enough cover to get back to Miss Ziva and the kid and get out of the area. The kid took off, Miss Ziva and I circled back to where I'd left Moore and his lackeys and, after ascertaining Moore had already left the area to find us, we moved his two underlings out of harms way just as Moore figured out where we were. Moore and I got into it and Miss Ziva provided cover fire with a confiscated gun." Ed had the whole group, sans Mustang, enraptured with his story. To his credit, Keith was doing his best to look only vaguely interested in the story. "Mustang and the others were already on their way since the video had gone," he paused, thinking for a moment, "viral, I think is the word Miss Penelope used, and had gotten their attention nearly straight away. They got there and we took Moore down. I located and confiscated any stones he had on him and we loaded up in the cars to go back to the office."

"You missed the part where you had a stone spike driven through your shoulder and, after he'd annoyed you enough, you ripped it out and stabbed Moore with it. Honestly, I thought you loved bragging about that sort of thing." Mustang commented idly and Ed rolled his eyes, ignoring the surprised and impressed looks he was getting.

"Are you telling this story? I didn't think so. Shut your face." Ed told him before turning back to the group, somehow missing the smirk on Mustang's face. That's when he noticed the looks. "What? It's not that important." He told them bemusedly.

"Dude. You got stabbed through the shoulder with a magicked stone spike by a psycho who wanted you dead..." Lance said in an awed voice.

"Then ripped it out and used it as a javelin to impale the man who attacked you with it..." Pidge picked up with an equally awed voice.

"All because he had annoyed you." Keith said, his voice far more impressed than awed. Shiro was a little worried at the approving tone he could also hear. Maybe he should keep these two apart.

"Yeah. He was being a dick and using the spike meant I didn't have to create a new weapon." Ed said like this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Anyway, we got part of the way to the NCIS headquarters when we were attacked by Moore's cult. We took down several members but Moore had successfully escaped and managed to damage the FBI's SUVs. Once we got replacement vehicles and were back at the NCIS office, we went right back to tracking Moore down. I created, with the help of the NCIS's forensic scientist, some fake stones that could hold a tiny bit of my alchemic energy. I swapped them out for the real ones in my pocket so we could create a trap for Moore once we'd caught up to him. When we located the building he was now hiding in with what remained of his followers, we got the blueprints and came up with a plan." He told them and Mustang took the opportunity to pick the story back up himself.

"The plan was for myself and Fullmetal to infiltrate the building and take down any of his followers as quietly and non-lethally as possible. The federal agents waited outside as Fullmetal ascertained exactly where each person in the building was. We left the ground level for the agents to clear and entered the second level. We blocked each exit and ambushed the first group. Once they were secured, we moved up and took down those on that level. Fullmetal entered the fourth floor alone, as part of the plan, since he is rather well known for attacking first without thinking it through." Mustang told them, sounding long-suffering.

"It's a good method." Ed muttered and Mustang gave him a 'seriously?' look. "What? People can't predict what I'll do in each situation because I don't know the details and can't prepare for it." He said defensively.

"You're gonna get killed." Mustang told him and Ed shrugged.

"Haven't yet and we all die at some point." He told him and Mustang looked slightly concerned for him. He wasn't the only one. "Keep going with the story." Ed told him with a pointed glare. Mustang decided to leave that argument for a later date.

"Fullmetal kicked the door in with enough force to send it flying back and knocking one of the people Moore had in the room to guard him. There was a scuffle and Fullmetal got himself caught. Moore stole the stones he had in his pocket and tried to use them only for it to blow up in his hand. Ed took down the two men holding him and one of them took the opportunity to escape. I took him down on the staircase. Moore had managed to get a hold of a knife by the time I'd come back from giving the agents the all-clear to enter the building. Fullmetal got pinned to the wall but a blow to the gut forced Moore back and I got him with a punch that got him on his knees just as the agents made their way into the room. He was arrested again, started complaining and Fullmetal knocked him out to get him to shut up. We got back to the NCIS building and got some rest since we still had plenty of time before the portal would be opened for us. Fullmetal got kidnapped by some of the agents for a day of exploring the city and I spent my time going over the details of Moore's and his followers arrests. Everything got sorted and it was time for us to leave so we got Moore into the parking lot and, after one failed attempt to escape, the portal opened and we went home." Mustang told them, clearly ending the story there. Pidge made a protesting noise when neither Mustang nor Ed seemed to have anything more to say.

"Wait, so what happened to Moore?" She asked demandingly, nearly stamping a foot at the fact that neither of them had been forthcoming with that part of the story right away. She needed to know what happened, dammit!

"Two of my team took him into custody for the illegal detainment of a Brigadier-General and State Alchemist, the assault and attempted murder of a Major and a State Alchemist and the assault and attempted murder of a private citizen, Alphonse Elric." Mustang told them. "We told the current Fuhrer the truth about what happened since he knew about our previous dimension visit and he spun the story for the prosecutor at Moore's trial. The official story is that Moore and Harding were practically brothers and Moore went insane after hearing about his death. I don't know where he found them but Fuhrer Grumman found a few people who knew Moore before and after Harding was killed who testified that Moore had become obsessed with his brother's case and were convinced Fullmetal and I were lying about the circumstances around Harding's demise. Despite Moore's claims that we had dimension hopped and killed Harding in a separate world, no one believed him. Even his lawyer had told him to stop trying to push that defense. He was convicted on all counts and is in prison for life. From what the prison guards have told me, he's still trying to convince people to believe his story." Mustang told her and she looked satisfied.

"Wait, I don't understand something." Lance said, brows pinched in thought. "Why would travelling to different dimensions be unbelievable? You guys have alchemy." He asked, head tilting slightly. Blue resisted the urge to coo at him. Black looked amused at her sister.

"You're up." Mustang told Ed, who rolled his eyes at him.

"No shit. Any answer from you wouldn't be that helpful." Ed scoffed derisively. Mustang looked slightly offended.

"You do remember that I  _am_  a highly accomplished, highly regarded alchemist right? Most even consider me a genius." Mustang said huffily.

"Some people are idiots." Ed told him matter-of-factually. "'Sides, you're only a genius when it comes to fire alchemy. I'm a genius with practically all alchemy." He reminded him.

 _"Maybe someone could answer the question before Lance thinks he's being ignored."_  Blue nudged Ed gently and he winced as he realised they hadn't, in fact, answered the question.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, Lance. Didn't mean to get off track like that." Ed said, grimacing a little.

"It's alright." Lance said, dismissing the apology with a bright smile. The smile looked almost natural but Ed had a small, niggling feeling that there was something up with that smile. Blue's confirming hum in his head had him resolve to get to the bottom of that at a later date.

"Our alchemy isn't like King Alfor's and Miss Allura's. I would have to read any texts on alchemy they have available to know for sure but based on the arrays I saw carved into the Lions to create them into sentient beings, Altean alchemy is far more magic based than science. Again, I'd have to read the texts, but I am assuming that the only limit with their alchemy is their imagination. Am I right?" Ed asked Allura.

"Partially." She said, pursing her lips slightly. "You are correct that our alchemy is far more magical in nature however we are still limited in what we can do. We use runes and arrays and what we can achieve is based on our knowledge and our alchemic strength. My father created the Lions, something that was by far the biggest project successfully created using alchemy, however there were alchemists on Altea who could barely manipulate water with their alchemy." Allura explained and Ed nodded.

"It's similar on Amestris. My brother, our teacher and myself are the three most accomplished and powerful alchemists so far. Mustang's up there but he's still not on our level." Ed told her before turning back to Lance. "Our alchemy is science based. We have laws we have to abide by or our alchemy could rebound back on us. One of those laws is that to gain something, something of equal value must be lost. So, for example, my tracking array. I gain the ability to find someone based on their life force over a certain distance but I give up alchemic energy in exchange for that. The longer I use the array, the more energy I use. To create a portal to dimension hop you would need to have an extremely vast amount of alchemic energy at your disposal and the ability to be able to get the portal to stabalise enough to get through it. It took the combined efforts of my brother, our teacher and another State Alchemist we could trust just to hold the portal we returned through open for barely a minute. They were all exhausted and it took a couple of days for them to all recover from it. The only way someone could dimension hop by themselves was if they had a Philosopher's Stone or several fake ones or they went through the Gate and no one sane wants to do that because Truth would need something for payment and it's a dick so it doesn't tell you what it's taking until it's taken it." Ed scowled a little at that. "Even than, you're not guaranteed a successful transmutation." Ed muttered sullenly.

"Rebound? What does that mean?" Hunk asked curiously and Ed shook himself a bit, ridding himself of the unwanted memory that question dragged up.

"A rebound occurs when your transmutation in unsuccessful. What it is is the energy created by a transmutation lashing back at the alchemist. An incorrect symbol, a poorly drawn array, incorrect or not enough materials, overestimating how good an alchemist you are; these are things that can cause an array to rebound. Sometimes it's nothing more than a sharp shock and sometimes it causes extreme injuries. Worst case scenario? You're killed." Hunk wasn't the only Paladin to wince at that. "The severity of the rebound is directly linked to the strength of the energy created." Ed explained.

Ed and Mustang waited for a few moments to see if there were any more questions about alchemy or Amestris forthcoming. There seemed to be nothing. Ed noticed Allura subtlety looking at her Paladins and Lions before coming to the same conclusion the two alchemists had drawn. No one wanted to know anything else at the moment.

"Well, I think that has cleared up most of our questions." Allura said brightly, clapping her hands in front of her chest. "Thank you for sharing your stories with us." She said sincerely, offering a regal curtsy.

"It was no issue, Miss Allura." Ed assured her as he and Mustang bowed slightly in response.

"Nevertheless, thank you." She said, giving them a cheerful smile. "Now, if you are willing, would you like to follow me to the training room so we may assess your fighting and alchemic abilities?" She asked. There was obvious excitement in her voice and Ed swore she was damn near vibrating from the effort of repressing her excitement as much as she was.

"Of course, Miss Allura. I have no problem. Mustang?" Ed asked, a smile that was all teeth aimed at the older alchemist. The tone his name was said in was clearly a dare for the fire alchemist to squirm his way out of the spar. Mustang accepted the challenge, straightening himself slightly.

"Lead the way, Miss Allura." Mustang said, eyes glinting at Ed in a clear acceptance of the challenge.


	7. Chapter 7

Allura and Coran led them all to the training rooms while the Paladins were trailing behind them. The Lions were milling in between everyone but were sticking by their pilots for the most part. Allura seemed to by almost skipping as they weaved through different hallways and Ed grinned to himself. He knew the Altean Princess still hoped that either Mustang or himself would be able to teach her alchemy but he didn't see how they could. Their alchemy was so vastly different from one another. Ed would have a better chance of learning alkehestry than teaching Allura her worlds alchemy.

They made one final turn and Allura placed her hand on a panel. The panel lit up blue and a door they hadn't noticed slid open and permitted them entrance. Allura led them inside and soon they were all huddled in the middle of the massive room. Ed turned in a small circle, taking in everything. The room was massive, bigger than some of the floors in some of the buildings on the Central Military Base. There was a door that led to somewhere else, showers or a locker room maybe, and a large observation deck with a view of every corner of the room situated on the opposite end of the room to the door. Surprisingly, it wasn't Allura who gave them the run down.

"So this is the main training room for our Paladins." Coran boomed as he gestured around himself. "We run specialised training simulations with our very own gladiators, varying in levels to ensure the Paladins always have something new to challenge them. Of course, we also run hand-to-hand, weapons training and surprise drills. It's equipped with training weapons and a shower and change room for the Paladins to use after training." He told them, voice filled with obvious pride.

"So what kind of damage can this room withstand?" Ed asked, looking around once more. The room looked like it was built from the same materials as the rest of the ship but he'd learned the hard way a couple of times that looks can be deceiving. Take Winry for example. No one expects a blonde female to be an automail mechanic whose weapon of choice is a wrench she always has on her person somewhere.

"Why, this room has never sustained significant or insignificant damage in all of the decaphobes people have trained in here! From the harshest temperature changes to the strongest weapons wielded by the strongest species! This room has been designed to withstand everything thrown at it!" Coran proclaimed loudly.

"So fire and ripping up the floor probably won't affect it too much if I promise to fix the floor?" Ed asked and Coran looked completely enthralled by the question.

"Not at all, my boy!" He told him and Ed looked very impressed. When he looked over at his boss, he saw the older man giving the room more attention than before. The Lions had finished their examination of the room and deemed it satisfactory.

"Okay. So what now?" Ed asked and Allura took a tiny step forward, effectively drawing their attention to her.

"We shall head up to the observation deck," she pointed to it, just in case they missed it somehow, "and shall observe your sparring session from up there. When you have finished your match, we shall meet you back down here. Is that alright?" Allura asked and both alchemists nodded. "Fantastic. Let's head up." She said to the others, shooing them out the room and through the door. The Lions didn't move, something the Paladins quickly noticed.

"Uh, what's up with you lot?" Lance asked, looking at Blue with his head tilted slightly.

 _"We wanted to stay here and watch Edward."_  Blue told him, her answer resonating through Ed's mind as well. From the looks on their faces, the other Paladins were being told the same thing by their Lions. Shiro turned to the Princess and Coran and relayed the message.

"Why?" Shiro asked Black and she swished her tail as she sat down, looking at Shiro appraisingly.

 _"Because Edward promised we'd train together and we'd like to join him on this session."_  She told Shiro and, just like with Blue, the answer echoed in Ed's head. Mustang had no clue what was going on right now and didn't look very happy about being kept out of the loop either.

"How about you guys join me on the next one? We can go up against those gladiator things Coran mentioned." He offered as a compromise.

 _"You just want to fight your boss by yourself."_  Red accused and Ed smirked.

"You ain't wrong." Ed told her and she snorted softly before hauling herself to her feet and walking over to where Keith was standing, tail flicking back and forth. Ed looked at the rest of the Lions still surrounding him. "I promise, in a day or so, we can train together." He told them and that seemed to appease them somewhat as they joined their sister and Paladins and the group were finally able to head up to the observation deck.

* * *

Mustang and Ed stood in the middle of the room, waiting for Allura and the others to appear in the observation deck. The silence rang through the room and the tension was growing slightly uncomfortable. Mustang let a small sigh through his nose and Ed's head turned so he could glare at him. Mustang thought the blonde might say something, demand to know what his problem was, but he didn't and Mustang frowned a little. Before Father, Edward had always been quick to snap at him whenever he made any noise that could be perceived as annoyance towards the blonde. Since the fight with Father and getting Alphonse back whole though, Edward has been far less likely to fly off the handle at any given time. In fact, Mustang couldn't recall a time in the last seven months when Ed's anger hadn't been warranted.

"Edward." Mustang said softly. Ed didn't turn to face him but Mustang saw his head twitch in an aborted movement to do so. "I am sorry for my behaviour earlier. I know there isn't a good reason for it but I want to explain myself." Mustang said and Ed twitched again but still didn't turn to face him. "When Truth agreed to send me here, it didn't tell me anything about where I was heading or what we would be doing. I was completely unprepared for this and to suddenly find myself on a space ship in space, far away from the one place we actually know in this dimension and surrounded by aliens who are in an intergalactic war and giant lions who can apparently transform into massive, mechanical, sentient Lion ships that sometimes join up together to make one massive robot, well, I didn't take it well. Obviously." Mustang snorted softly and heard Ed do the same.

"Obviously." Ed still didn't make any move to look at him but Mustang could see the tension slowly draining out of Ed's body.

"So when you were telling them about how you changed the array, I forgot that you had already told me. I don't know if it was because I was used to you hiding things from me before Father and my anger was just a reflex but it doesn't matter. I shouldn't have done or said what I did and for that I am sorry." Mustang apologised and looked at Edward, hoping the boy would realise he was completely sincere.

"You know," Ed said before turning to look at Mustang. The older alchemist was relieved to see the blonde was no longer angry but instead looking at him with a smirk that meant trouble, "that apology won't get you out of an arse-kicking." He told him and Mustang snorted.

"You mean, the arse-kicking you're about to get?" He teased and was rewarded with a laugh from the blonde as he moved a few feet away.

"You wish, old man." Ed said, grinning as he took a couple of steps and adopted his fighting stance. Mustang moved into his own fighting stance and they waited.

"Whenever you are ready, you may commence." Allura's voice sounded from the observation deck only a few moments later. Both automatically looked up at the voice's origin and saw everyone staring back at them. The Lions were waiting patiently, sitting next to their Paladins and watching with interested eyes. They turned to face each other and both took the final steps in preparing themselves for their fight. Mustang pulled his gloves from his inner pocket and pulled them on while Ed ran a hand over his automail arm, causing his blade to appear. He was happy see the blade go through the glove without ripping it once more.

* * *

Neither moved for a full five seconds before Ed rushed Mustang, just like they both knew would happen. As Ed expected, Mustang sent a small, controlled fireball with a snap of his fingers. Ed dodged it easily and was soon up in Mustang's face and engaging the man in hand-to-hand fighting. Mustang wasn't on the same level as Al or Teacher but his fighting style was different enough to Ed's own - not to mention the man himself was competent enough - that he was still a challenging opponent.

Mustang had a job of dodging each blow Ed tried to land. Thankfully, the boy was nice enough to use his right arm defensively rather than offensively so Mustang didn't have to dodge the blade as much. After a minute or so of exchanging blows, resulting in a bruised cheek and sprained wrist for Mustang and bruised ribs and a split lip for Edward, the blonde saw an opportunity to give him an edge in this spar.

He went for it and struck with his left fist, a blow that Mustang easily blocked with a raised hand. As he knocked Ed's arm aside, Ed brought his blade up and slashed at Mustang's hand. The man's eyes widened when he saw Ed's plan and hastily pulled his hand back but not quick enough. A split second before Mustang would've been safe, the very tip of Ed's blade caught the man's glove and ripped through the array stitched on it. Ed allowed himself a grin before throwing himself into a backwards flip to avoid to flames Mustang immediately sent his way with the other hand.

Ed knew now he wouldn't get as close to Mustang as he had before. This fight was now long distance, with medium distance probably being the closest he'd be able to fight. With a swipe of his hand on the floor, Ed erected several barriers in between himself and Mustang. He dove behind one with a moment to spare as flames billowed where he'd just been standing. Ed knew the barriers also gave Mustang an advantage against him but the opportunities they gave Ed were more than enough for him to transmute them into existence. There were about fifteen spaced out randomly in between him and Mustang.

"Ready to yield yet, brat?" Ed heard Mustang's slightly breathless voice call out and grinned to himself. He knew where he was now. Slapping his left hand on the ground, he sent spikes towards Mustang and heard the man cursing and slight thumps that told him Mustang had successfully avoided them.

"You wish, old man!" He hollered before vaulting over the barricade and racing for the next one, sliding on his knees as Mustang sent a new flame attack at him and forced him to duck. Ed forced his breathing back down to normal and pulled his glove off of his left hand. Placing it on the ground, he closed his eyes and concentrated on what he could feel. There was a subtle constant vibration that Ed assumed belonged to the ship's engines or power source or whatever ran this ship. It took a couple of minutes of careful breathing and keeping himself completely still before he was rewarded with the slight scuff of shoes and vibrations running up his arm. Mustang was on the move.

* * *

Mustang grumbled to himself as he used the random barricades Ed made to try and sneak up on the blonde. He was berating himself for falling for the young alchemist's trap that resulted in him losing one of his gloves. Then his dumb arse yelled a taunt at his opponent that gave away his position and he was forced to scramble backwards to avoid the spikes. He saw a flash of gold heading for a different structure to hide behind and sent another stream of fire for it but missed and lost sight of Edward. He moved cautiously around the block of metal he was taking shelter behind and started making his way over to the one he thought Edward was behind.

That's when the metal hand appeared out of nowhere on his right and he went into a forward roll to avoid the fingers that grabbed at him. The hand stalled where it was and he heard the softest noise, like cloth swishing, that indicated Edward was on the move. Mustang waited patiently, unknowingly stealing Edwards earlier trick, and placed his now bare hand on the ground to track Edwards movements through the vibrations he made. He frowned when he didn't feel anything and lifted his hand back off the ground before carefully looking over the top of his barricade. There was a split second where Ed and Mustang locked eyes and neither could tell who was more shocked; Edward when he spotted Mustang only a couple of barricades in front of him or Mustang when he saw Edward on top of a barricade with only a couple more in between them.

"You clever little shit." Mustang said approvingly before snapping his fingers and creating another fireball. Edward dove off the barricade with a cackle and into a somersault before he disappeared behind another barricade in time to avoid Mustang's attack almost completely. The back end of his shirt did get slightly singed though and Mustang swore softly. So close.

"Better luck next time, old timer." Ed cackled from where he was hiding, quickly sliding an extra two barricades over so any attack Mustang used wouldn't hit him. He felt the heat from the attack that was launched next and peered around the barricade to see the one he'd hidden behind glowing softly from the heat. Mustang's plan must've been to heat the barricade up enough to drive Edward from out behind it. Ed snorted softly before using his vibration trick once more. Mustang was being very cautious but it didn't make any difference. Ed could still feel him moving. He needed a new plan instead of this cat and mouse game they were playing. He frowned when he felt Mustang walk away from him.

* * *

Mustang realised this tag game they were playing couldn't keep going on forever. His subordinate didn't move from behind the barricade he sent his attack on which meant either the metal wasn't affected by the heat from the attack - unlikely since the metal was glowing - or he'd not been behind that particular barricade. Kneeling down to think, and protect himself from any sneak attacks, he went over the information the orange-haired alien had given them about this room when something lit up for him. Weapons. Coran had mentioned a weapons room. Looking around, he spotted a section of wall that could open up to reveal a weapons hold. He just needed to access the panel, which he hoped he'd be able to open. He headed for it, keeping his footfalls as soft as possible so the blonde wouldn't figure out what was going on.

* * *

 

Ed watched him from over the top of the barricade he was behind. So he was going for the weapons, was he? Not a bad plan. He kept an eye on him as he manouvered around the blocks and put a bit less space between him and his commanding officer. He waited as Mustang made it to the panel and placed a hand on the pad. Ed nodded slightly. So he'd picked up on that being there as well. The panel slid smoothly and soundlessly up to reveal staffs, one of which Mustang grabbed and tossed in the air a little before turning away as the panel slid back into place. Ed hid behind the barricade completely as he thought through what his options were. The barricades would make it impossible for Mustang to use the staff but that would only prolong this game of tag and he didn't want that. So he'd have to remove the barricades. That left him and Mustang wide open and with the staff, Mustang had the slight upper hand. Ed placed his flesh hand back on the ground to track Mustang as he tried to come up with a plan.

* * *

 

Mustang saw a glint of gold as he turned to make his way back to the battlefield. So, Edward knew he was armed now. Which meant the blonde would be trying to figure out what he could do now. Mustang knew the barricades would be a hindrance now. He wouldn't have the room to utilise his weapon so if Edward was smart, he'd keep the barricades up and force Mustang to either lose the staff or try and fail to use it. He walked carefully passed the metal hand Edward had tried to use earlier and nearly jumped out of his skin when it started moving again. He parried it with the staff and was surprised when it stop trying to get him. Mustang couldn't help himself and looked around to try and find his subordinate, catching a glimpse of the singed end of his shirt as he moved before Mustang was caught by a blow to his arm, sending him reeling backwards and nearly dropping the staff, forcing his attention back to the metal arm Ed was manipulating.

That's when all of the barricades Ed had erected melted back into the floor seamlessly with a crackle of blue energy. Mustang was still trying to avoid the metal arm, throwing himself backwards to dodge a particular vicious swipe and finally putting distance between him and the arm. He took the opportunity it presented to spin around, raising the staff defensively to intercept the blow he was expecting only for nothing to be there. He frowned before the sound of someone running had his eyes widen in realisation and he spun back to the arm in time to see Edward running up its length and leaping off of it, right arm raised and blade glinting threateningly as he reared his arm back. Mustang got the staff up in time and Ed grabbed it, using his momentum to throw Mustang backwards to the ground, releasing the staff just before Mustang did and sliding along the ground before stopping in a half-kneel and launching himself back at Mustang.

Mustang had barely gotten the staff up in time to block Edward's hit but the blonde didn't seem phased and kept pushing him. This went on for a few moments before Ed wrapped his left hand around the staff and there was a crackle of energy before Mustang had the chance to get it back from the blonde. Part of the staff disintegrated away, leaving it in two pieces and each of those pieces only being a third of the original length. Ed flipped himself backwards, left hand landing on the floor and another crackle of energy followed him as he completed the flip. A staff of his own followed the blonde's hand, causing Mustang to remember the first time he'd witnessed Edward transmute in front of Fuhrer Bradley, and soon enough the blonde was now armed with his blade and a staff. Ed smirked at Mustang before tossing the staff into the air, transmuting his blade back into his arm and catching the staff as it fell back towards the floor.

Now it was a fair fight. An unspoken agreement went through them and they ran at each other, meeting in the middle with a clang of their weapons. They shared a smirk before pushing away from the other before meeting up once again. Despite the fact that he had two weapons to Edward's one, Mustang still had a challenge on his hands. They continued to exchange blows, occasionally hitting the other hard enough to leave bruises before Edward managed to knock Mustang off his feet, following the man down and holding the staff tip against his neck, a would-be fatal blow if they had been fighting for real. Ed grinned but Mustang didn't seem upset and Ed soon felt why as a light tap against his side, right below his ribs, told him Mustang had managed to land a similar blow. Now they were in a stalemate.

"Truce?" Mustang panted after a small pause and Edward huffed out a laugh in between heaving for breath.

"Truce." He said, moving so he was no longer pinning Mustang to the floor, offering a hand to help the man up, something the older alchemist accepted with a grunt. Ed headed back over to the slight dint in the floor from where his staff came before transmuting it back into the floor and rejoining his boss and glancing at his broken weapon. "Yeah, I can't fix that. I got a little carried away there." Ed grimaced slightly before looking up at the observation deck only to find no one up there.

"Guess they're on their way back down here." Mustang said when Ed pointed it out. Ed grunted in response, raising his hand and wiping his lip on the white material and finding that it was still bleeding. "You good?" Mustang asked, concern bleeding through his voice now they weren't fighting. He took in the blonde's appearance now they were standing still and noted how he was holding himself and his bloody lip and cheek.

"Fine." Came the predictable response. Ed must've seen the disbelief on his face. "Seriously, Mustang, I've had worse injuries sparring with Al. Are you alright? I know I got a few good hits in there." Ed asked, brow raised as he eyed up with commanding officer.

"Bruised and my wrist will need to be wrapped but other than that, I'm fine." He told him just as the doors opened to permit everyone else. Ed found himself swarmed by most of the Lions almost immediately.

 _"Are you alright?"_  Blue asked as she butted her head against his automail arm. The Paladins and Alteans were still making their way over to them. Red was sticking with Keith but was watching Ed and her sisters with interest.

"I'm fine." Ed told her.

 _"Are you sure? I can smell blood on you and it's from more than just your lip and cheek."_ Green said as she squinted up at Ed.

"Okay so I might have a few cuts but nothing major." He told her. He didn't exactly make the ends of the broken staff safe and Mustang didn't exactly know that so he'd suffered a couple of small cuts to his person.

 _"Do you need a healing pod?"_  Yellow fretted and Ed went to answer but was interrupted by everyone now bombarding them with questions and comments.

"Dude, that was awesome! I didn't know you were part ninja!" Lance exclaimed as he grinned at Edward, clapping him on the shoulder once the Lions had parted enough to let the Blue Paladin stand next to the blonde. Ed let himself relax a little and smile back only to watch as the smile fell off of Lance's face and concern took its place. "Are you alright? Your cheek's bleeding pretty heavily." He asked, placing a hand on Ed's chin and making the blonde tilt his head so he can get a proper look. Ed batted his hands away.

"I'm fine. This is normal for me." Ed told him and Lance muttered something before grabbing Hunk and dragging him down so he could ask him something before the bigger boy nodded and handed over something white to Lance. Lance thanked the other boy and turned his attention back to Edward before pressing the material against his cheek. Ed rolled his eyes as he took over holding the handkerchief against his cheek. "I said I was fine." He reminded the boy but Lance pretended not to hear him.

 _"It's best to accept his help or he'll turn into a complete mother-hen."_  Blue confided and Ed snorted softly, chuckling when Lance looked suspiciously between him and Blue.

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I saw that that was something else." Allura said once she ascertained the alchemists didn't require a healing pod. "It's clear to see that the two of you are very well trained and I have to commend you, Brigadier-General, for being able to hold your own against Edward. You certainly aren't afraid of using your surroundings to your advantage." She complimented Edward who grinned widely, hand still pressing the handkerchief to his cheek. "You both would be formidable opponents. I look forward to seeing how you work with the Paladins and the Lions."

"The Lions have dibs on me next." Ed reminded her and she nodded her assent.

"Of course. Let yourself recover from this first. I'm sure Lance will be happy to accompany you both to the medical wing and go over your injuries. He's our best medical expert, next to Coran." Allura told them, praising Lance who flushed slightly. Ed opened his mouth but Lance was quick to lean over and whisper in his ear.

"That wasn't a request and trust me when I say it's best not to argue with the princess." Lance told him and Ed decided to simply trust him and shut his mouth. He swore he saw Mustang do a double take at that. Allura raised an eyebrow at the pair and Lance straightened up, shooting the princess a cheeky grin. "Anything for you, Allura." He winked, causing Allura to roll her eyes at him but the effect was ruined by the fond smile on her face.

"I'll go with them." Shiro volunteered and Allura eyed him but nodded.

"Good idea, Shiro. The rest of you Paladins may do as you please until lunchtime. I'm sure the alchemists would love to witness the training you have scheduled for this afternoon." Allura told them and there were a couple of mutters but everyone nodded. "I'll see you in the dining room at lunchtime than." Allura dismissed them and they scattered.

* * *

Lance, Shiro, Black and Blue lead the alchemists towards the medbay while Green, Pidge, Hunk and Yellow all vanished in another direction, probably going to tinker with something they'd been working on. Keith and Red both stayed in the training room and watched as Allura and Coran left before starting their first training session together. Ed felt Red berate herself gently for not being able to show her concern for the blonde like her sisters did. He knew Red hadn't meant for him to feel that and, after a few moments debate, decided to say something instead of leaving it.

"Not everyone shows their concern as obviously as your sisters do and that's okay. The only person I'm as forthcoming with my emotions with is my brother. Don't beat yourself up because you didn't get all up in my face because you were worried. I know you would've found me when I was alone to see if I was okay." Ed told her and he felt her embarrassment at him knowing what she was thinking and overwhelming relief that he wasn't mad she hadn't been acting like the others.

 _"I'm sorry."_  He heard her whisper and Ed waved the apology off with a mental shake.

"Don't be. Some people aren't upfront with their feelings and even less so with people they don't know that well. It's okay not to be all over someone when they're upset or hurt." Ed said and felt her smile.

"Who are you talking to?" Mustang asked, breaking Ed out of his thoughts, nudging his subordinate. Ed scowled at him.

"None of your business." He told him huffily. Mustang just rolled his eyes.

"Are you two always like this?" Lance asked, grinning sheepishly when Shiro said his name scoldingly.

"He's always been a little shit." Mustang nodded seriously.

"And he's always been a massive bastard." Ed told them, completely straight-faced. Shiro and Lance looked like they weren't sure what to do with that information. Ed could feel Black and Blue's amusement at their dumbfounded reactions.

"He's your subordinate, right?" Shiro asked Mustang, who nodded, and the oldest Paladin looked confused. "If you don't mind me asking, how is it that he can be the way he is around you without repercussions? No offence, Edward, but I'm highly doubtful there's a military branch in any country on Earth that would allow you to act the way you do around a commanding officer without serious consequences." Shiro certainly did look apologetic about asking.

"None taken." The blonde assured him before looking at Mustang with a brow raised, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Our military is normally very strict when it comes to the relationships between subordinates and their commanding officers. The rest of my team certainly aren't as," he paused, mulling over his words carefully, " _impertinent_  as Fullmetal but they also aren't as robotic as the military would like them to be. However, to answer your question, Fullmetal is certainly a unique case when it comes to our military. He enlisted at age 12 and you'd have been hard-pressed to find someone willing to court-martial a 12-year-old, no matter how insolent they were." Mustang started to explain to them as they continued their trek. "When he first enlisted, we came to an agreement. I would keep his secret about the complete extent his and his brothers injuries and how they happened. In exchange, he would take on and complete missions I assigned him. This also had the bonus of supplying Fullmetal with continuous funds for himself and Alphonse and allowing them the freedom to research a way for them to complete their goal while letting me use their success to further my career." Ed spotted the look on the Paladins faces and could feel the Lions becoming angry with Mustang.

"Don't bother." He warned, causing the four of them to jump while Mustang side-eyed him questioningly. "I knew what he was doing. It wasn't exactly subtle and it was always the main point people brought up whenever they tried to con me into moving under their control." Ed said as they turned into a corridor he was familiar with. They were nearly at the med bay.

"Neither Fullmetal nor I liked each other to start with. We were barely civil to each other to start with and only begrudgingly put up with each other because we had use for the other person. Since I couldn't court-martial him without his secret being found out, he got away with a lot of stuff other soldiers would have been punished for. After a while, the military accepted that Fullmetal would always be that way and that punishing him for things he'd been doing from the get-go would not go down with the public and if there was one military member the public would riot for, it was the Peoples Alchemist." Mustang said, grinning when Edward predictably groaned at his second title.

"The Peoples Alchemist?" Lance asked, placing a hand on the panel to open the medbay door. Edward groaned again while Mustang's grin grew a little wider.

"Yes. The people were particularly enamoured with a State Alchemist who was so young and so openly against the way the military operated but never hesitated to praise the few soldiers he approved of. He complained loudly about having to go to random towns for random missions but never turned down a citizen who asked for help. Amestrians noticed and he soon become the single most popular State Alchemist and military member in the history of our military. A member of my team used to joke that if Fullmetal ever needed to go into hiding or started his own coup, he'd have thousands of citizens put their hands up to help." Mustang told them, sitting on the first bed-like thing he found, grinning at the disbelieving look on the two Paladins faces.

"Havoc needs to shut his mouth before I get ideas." Ed muttered as he sat in the same spot he'd occupied before. Black and Blue's amusement flooded through his system and he allowed himself a small smile.

"As if you could pull off a coup." Mustang scoffed and looked up in time to see a dangerously mischievous glint in Ed's eyes. "That's not a challenge." He warned and Ed laughed at him.

"You two are weird. Shirts off." Lance ordered. Mustang complied easily enough but Ed shook his head.

"No. I don't have any injuries that need to be looked at under it so it's not coming off." Ed said, shaking his head vehemently. Mustang, to Lance and Shiro's surprise, didn't look surprised.

"We need to make sure you aren't badly hurt." Shiro said gently but Ed shook his head stubbornly.

"Do you want me to check you over in private?" Lance asked, wondering if maybe the boy was just shy about being half-naked near his boss. Lance knew he'd feel awkward as fuck if he was shirtless around Shiro. Ed seemed to know what conclusion he'd drawn.

"No offense, Lance, but he's like one of four people I'd trust enough to patch me up without killing me." Ed told him, jerking his head at Mustang.

"I'm honoured." Mustang drawled, sounding anything but. Ed spared him a side-eyed glance and could dissect his commanding officer's nonchalant mask enough to see that he really was.

"So you should be." Ed told him before catching the look Shiro and Lance exchanged. "Uh uh." He wagged a finger at them, causing them to jump back a little in surprise. "Whatever you're thinking, no." He told them and Lance looked a little guilty. Shiro, on the other hand, looked like he'd just had an idea.

"Would you be willing to let the Brigadier-General look you over if Lance told him what he could use and what it does?" Shiro asked and Ed narrowed his eyes a little. On one hand, he wouldn't have to guess what everything did later when he snuck down to patch himself up like he'd originally planned but on the other he wasn't sure he trusted Mustang with alien medical supplies. He already said he trusted Mustang to patch him up and he wasn't lying but he wasn't sure he'd trust anyone who wasn't familiar with these products to patch him up.

"If I had any injuries I thought needed to be looked at, yes. But all of my injuries are minor and don't need anything more than being cleaned out, which is something I am more than capable of doing myself." Ed argued and could see Shiro barely stop himself from sighing.

"It's just like Keith all over again." Shiro muttered and Lance struggled not to giggle since it was obvious the Black Paladin hadn't meant to say that out loud. "You were holding yourself like your ribs had been damaged." Shiro pointed out after a moment and Ed had to concede that he had been.

"Yeah but they're just bruised and you couldn't do much for that anyway." Ed argued back and Lance perked up suddenly.

"Actually," he said, tapping a finger to his chin in thought before scrambling over to a set of drawers and digging through them, coming up with a jar of something that had him make a victorious noise before heading back and handing it to Ed, "this should be able to speed up the healing process for that. It'd be quicker if you went into the pod but I think the pod is kind of overkill for your injuries." Lance told him, handing the jar of green salve over for his inspection.

"Really?" Ed asked, turning the jar over in his hand and eyeing the salve inside critically, like he expected it to answer.

"Yeah. It'll help with Mustang's wrist too. It fixed my wrist up in no time when I used it." Lance told them and Shiro frowned as he looked at the Blue Paladin.

"When did you hurt your wrist?" Shiro asked and Lance's brow scrunched up in thought as he flitted around the room, finding things he needed to help heal Mustang.

"Uh, like, three weeks ago? It was only minor and that salve had it healed up before morning." Lance told them before coming back over to Mustang and examining his wrist before going back to his searching. "Yours is pretty sprained, though. It might take two, maybe three, times longer to heal than mine did." Lance told him, coming back over once again now that he'd found everything he needed. He and Blue had now gotten into a quirky little routine of Lance holding things down for Blue's inspection.

"Back up for a moment, Lance. How did you hurt your wrist?" Shiro asked and Ed spotted the concern for his fellow Paladin, worry he'd been hurt and his anger and sadness at not having been told. Ed looked at Lance and saw confusion, like he couldn't understand why Shiro was asking about his wrist.

"Ah, it was a stupid accident." Lance laughed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. Ed and Mustang could see the laughter didn't reach his eyes. "I was in Blue's hangar and I tripped over a cord that was on the ground. Must've forgotten it was there or something." Ed heard Blue's huff and nudged her with his mind.

 _"He was in the training room at night when he should've been in bed and a gladiator hit his wrist."_  Blue told Ed sullenly.

"Why didn't you tell someone? You didn't need to patch yourself up, you know." Shiro hadn't meant to sound like he was reprimanding the Blue Pilot but he knew it had been taken that way by him when Lance's face fell and he didn't meet Shiro's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shiro. I just didn't want to bother anyone with it. It wasn't anything serious." Lance said and Shiro's heart squeezed at the implication of those words. Ed felt a little uncomfortable witnessing this exchange.

"Lance," Shiro placed his hands on the younger boys shoulders and waited for him to meet his eyes, "you wouldn't have bothered anyone. Any of us would've helped you." He told him, hoping the boy would see the sincerity in his eyes. "So please come and find one of us if you get hurt again?" He asked and Lance nodded, turning away from them to wipe his eyes quickly.

"Okay, Shiro." He smiled before clearing his throat and turning back to the two alchemists. "Now that you two got to witness that  _telenovela_  moment, let's get you patched up." Lance said, smiling brightly before grabbing the salve from Edward.

"What's a telenovela moment?" Ed asked as he watched Lance smear the salve over Mustang's wrist and up the back of his palm slightly.

" _Telenovela's_  are basically Spanish soap operas. They're generally highly dramatic, bordering on ridiculously so, but once you watch one, it sucks you in and you can't help but want to watch the rest of eps." Lance said as he cut a length of fabric and wrapped it swiftly around Mustang's wrist and between his thumb and fingers before lightly tapping the end softly and they watched as it affixed itself to the rest of the bandage near seamlessly. Lance nodded once in satisfaction before doing the lid up on the salve and removing his gloves before replacing them and grabbing the anti-bruise spray and attacking Mustang's skin with it. He stopped when he got to the burn scar on his side and frowned. "That looks old but there's some cream around here somewhere that should help fade them out a bit, if you want?" He offered but Mustang shook his head.

"Thank you but no. I don't need it." Mustang told him and Lance hummed before poking him in the ribs. The black-haired alchemist startled but didn't move other wise, just let the Blue Paladin do as he wanted. After a short while, and a bit more anti-bruise spray, Lance told him to put his shirt back on. Ed had removed his left glove and was applying the salve to his ribs while Lance fussed over Mustang. Ed wasn't the only one to notice that his fingers had a mixture of salve and blood on them when he pulled them out from under his shirt. Blue, Black and Shiro all frowned when Ed simply grabbed some of the paper-towel like thing and wiped his hand clean.

"Do you at least want to clean out your injuries?" Lance asked, causing Ed to snap his eyes up to the brunette. He looked so genuinely worried and then Ed made his first mistake; he met the teenagers eyes and found himself staring at the biggest set of kitten eyes he'd ever seen.

"You're not going to leave me alone until I've agreed to some sort of medical help, are you?" Ed whined a little, much to the amusement of the others around him. Lance simply grinned at him, knowing he'd already won. Ed sighed before giving in to the kitten-eyes and the Lions pleas. "Fine. You can do the ones on my face but I'll be doing the rest." Ed told him and Lance counted it as a win.

"Fair deal." He said as Mustang smirked at Edward, who didn't even look at him when he flipped him off. Lance grabbed the disinfectant and healing goop before sitting next to Ed and turning his face so he had access to his cheek. He cleaned out the cut carefully before putting the healing goop on it and waited for it to dry before placing a bandage over it and looking at Ed's lip. "I don't think we have anything that could go on your lip that wouldn't have some weird side effect if you accidentally ingested it." Lance said apologetically.

"Eh, don't worry about it." Ed told him, probing the wound a little with his tongue. "Doesn't feel too bad and it probably won't kill me." Ed told him and Lance huffed in amusement before cleaning up the rubbish.

"We'll wait outside while you patch the rest of you up, okay?" Shiro offered and Ed nodded. Ed had a feeling that Shiro was glad for this because it meant he could have a chat with Lance in private. Lance seemed to realise this as well and took his time cleaning before Shiro helped him out a bit and dragged him out of the medbay once they were done. Blue followed them out but Black opted to stay in the medbay with Edward and Mustang. Ed raised his brow at her but she gave him a blank look, causing him to roll his eyes before shrugging out of his borrowed shirt.

"Can you patch that or do you need a new shirt?" Mustang asked, one eye looking at the few slices in the fabric and the other looking at the injuries he'd unwittingly inflicted. Ed looked at the shirt before running a hand over it, seamlessly mending the few holes before smirking smugly at Mustang who simply rolled his eyes. "Show off." He muttered, much to Edward's amusement.

They didn't speak much as Edward patched himself up. Truthfully, he didn't have many injuries outside of bruises but he still cleaned the few cuts up since he knew Black would've told Blue who would have told Lance. He felt Black's smirk but the most obvious thing was the lack of denial she'd do that. Applying the healing goop to the cut that sat nearly on top of his bruised ribs, he had Mustang check his back. There weren't any cuts but there were a couple of pretty nasty bruises that Mustang sprayed for him. Now done, Ed slipped his shirt on before looking around to where Mustang stood.

"Hey, where's your glove?" He asked, looking at his ungloved hand. Mustang raised a questioning brow but pulled the ruined glove out of his pocket. "Gimme." Ed made a grabby hand, which somehow resulted in Mustang rolling his eyes but handing it over.

"What's wrong?" Mustang asked when Ed frowned as he scruitinised the material. "Can't fix it?" He asked teasingly.

"Course I can." Ed scoffed but made no move to do so. "I was just thinking that there might be some material in the storage room that is like this but water-proof. So you can ignite a spark no matter whether it's raining or not." Ed told him, looking up to find Mustang looking disbelieving. "What?" He asked, a touch defensively. Black moved herself closer to Ed and gave Mustang a warning look.

"You really think there's a material like that?" The flame-alchemist asked, deciding to ignore the blatant favouritism the Black Lion was showing. Ed shrugged, running a hand over the ruined glove and mending it.

"Well, these are made out of material that won't get completely destroyed like my old ones when I create my blade." Ed told him, showing him the neat cut his blade made when it first pierced the cloth. Mustang looked dutifully impressed. He handed the now-fixed glove back to its owner. "Just in case there isn't a material that you can use." Ed shrugged as he hopped off the bed he had been sitting on and clearing up the small amount of rubbish he'd created. Black pulled herself to her feet and rubbed against Ed's leg and hip as she walked past him, giving Mustang a look as she passed him that made Mustang throw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Why don't these Lions like me? What did I do?" Mustang asked, glaring at Black while she licked her paw in a way that had her extend her formidable claws in a subtle threat.

"It's not that they don't like you." Ed said as he scritched behind one of Black's ears, to her pleasure. "It's that you haven't done anything to gain their respect or trust." He told him as though the answer was obvious.

"How long did it take for you to win them over? You've only been here about 24 hours." Mustang asked and Ed thought for a moment.

"Well, to be honest, the only one I even had to try and win over was Red and that only took me a few minutes of talking to her." Ed told him, continuing to scratch behind Black's ear. "I dunno what to tell you, Mustang. It could just be because I was the only one who could have activated their transformation arrays -" Ed cut himself off suddenly, focusing on Black when she let out a soft growl, his hand freezing where it was entangled in the big cat's hair.

"What did she say?" Mustang asked, realising in that moment how easily he'd accepted the fact that his subordinate could hear five alien lions inside his head. Ed flushed a little but gave Black a massive grin and ruffled her ears before looking up at Mustang.

"Ah, she just told me that they could tell I was a good person with a trustworthy quintessence who would keep his promises, no matter what, and that they didn't let me in just because I could activate that array." He told him, laughing a bit when Black butted her head against his least injured side. Mustang struggled not to smile at that.

"So what do I have to do to get the death glares to stop?" Mustang asked and Ed looked at him blankly.

"I dunno. Black won't tell me anything. Guess you gotta figure it out for yourself." Ed told him, shrugging a shoulder before hitting the panel that opened the door. Shiro, Lance and Blue were standing off to the side, waiting patiently for them.

"That's helpful." Mustang muttered as Ed walked past him to join up with the others. Ed just gave him a shit-eating grin but ignored him otherwise.

"Are you all done?" Lance asked, eyeing him as though he could look through his shirt to see his injuries.

"Yup. All cleaned up and whatnot." Ed told him and pretended to be annoyed when Lance looked at Black for confirmation. "So what are we gonna do to kill some time before we have to meet back up?" Ed asked. Shiro and Lance exchanged a look before Shiro answered.

"How would you guys like a tour of the Castle-Ship? It'd be good for you guys to know where everything is and it gives Black and Blue the chance to explore the whole ship." Shiro suggested. Mustang and Ed didn't even have to look at each other to know what they thought about the idea.

"I'm in." Ed said while Mustang nodded his agreement. Both of the Lions were already fidgeting on their feet in excitement and Lance cracked a smile at their enthusiasm.

"Than what are we waiting for?" Lance asked, pushing off the wall and grabbing Shiro by his prosthetic arm to drag him forward. "Welcome to Lance and Shiro's first grand tour of the Castle-Ship!" He exclaimed, sweeping his free arm theatrically to gesture at the hallway while Shiro laughed at his childish delight. Mustang and Ed grinned as they followed the two Paladins and their Lions, listening to Lance's chattering.


	8. Chapter 8

They'd barely covered half the Castle-ship when the call for lunch came over the ships comms. They'd explored the pool, something Ed and Mustang had gaped at until they'd left the room and had Ed go into a rant about how it shouldn't be possible, before visiting an observation room Shiro had found, the library (they had to drag Ed out literally), a secondary training room Lance had found (he managed to avoid Shiro's eyes when he told them he'd been doing solo-training in there when he couldn't sleep), the material room Lance had taken Ed to before but Lance couldn't remember if there was any material Mustang could use so they decided to ask Coran later, as well as numerous smaller rooms that were mainly used as storage or relaxation. Mustang got to see their bedrooms and Shiro offered him the room next to Edward, which the man accepted gratefully, when the call for lunch sounded.

"How did you two enjoy your tour of the Castle-Ship?" Allura asked once they'd sat down, waiting for Pidge and Coran to appear. Hunk had made them something that was basically chicken and salad, though the chicken didn't look anything like chicken and Ed would probably not have touched it if his breakfast this morning hadn't been so good. He trusted Hunk's cooking. Plus, he waited for Mustang to try it and when he didn't drop dead immediately, he hooked in just as Pidge came through the doors, scowling while Coran looked victorious.

"I was in the middle of something! I'm not even hungry." Pidge whined as Coran lead her to the table. Her stomach immediately growled. "That was Green." She claimed. The Lion in question looked rather offended. No one believed her and she sat in her spot with a sigh before loading her plate and chowing down. Ed was almost impressed with how much she ate.

"Yes. Whoever made this ship did an amazing job. The design is both beautiful and functional. I'd love to look at the engines so I could see what powers this place." Mustang said. Coran looked proud as punch when Mustang praised the Castle-ship's design.

"My grandfather was the one to design this particular ship. He continued as the Castle-ship's main caretaker and I followed in his footsteps when he passed." Coran told them. "The power source for this ship is a Balmeran crystal! We had to replace it recently when it was destroyed by the damned Galra in an explosion. They very nearly killed me too but Lance here saved my life." Coran beamed at the Blue Paladin who immediately flushed and appeared to find the table extremely interesting. Blue nudged him gently and he gave her some pats.

"What's a Balmeran crystal?" Ed asked, hoping to get the attention off of Lance since the boy was clearly uncomfortable with the attention his reaction had garnered. Coran enthusiastically gave a very detailed explanation on what a Balmeran was and how one got a crystal from it. Hunk told them a bit about the Balmeran people, something that had Lance make teasing comments about a 'Shay' that had Hunk blushing furiously, especially when Pidge got in on the teasing.

"So this ship doesn't have any engines?" Mustang asked as the Garrison trio continued teasing each other. Coran shook his head.

"No, it has numerous engines. The Balmeran crystal is simply the power source. The Castle-ship's fuel, if you will." Coran explained and Mustang nodded. "If you'd like, once the Paladins have finished their Voltron training this afternoon, I'd be thrilled to show you both the engine room." Coran offered and both Amestrians took him up on the offer. "We'll also have to find you a room, Brigadier-General. Can't have you sleeping on the lounge, now can we?" Coran joked jovially. He jumped when Ed groaned loudly, an action that had Mustang smirking.

"Just because they're respectful enough to use my title." Mustang said and Ed flipped him off.

"You and I both know your rank is useless here." Ed told him and Mustang raised his brow in a 'so what?' way.

"Ah, actually, Coran, we gave him the room next to Edward." Shiro told the orange-haired alien.

"Really? Very good! Thanks, Number 1." Coran grinned brightly at the oldest Paladin.

The rest of lunch went by with small stories told by everyone. Edward had overheard Lance say something about Iverson and the Garrison and asked about it, which delved into a small competition on who had the best story from the Garrison. After what seemed like no time, they'd finished all of the food and were simply sitting back and enjoying themselves before Allura decided to get them back on schedule.

"Let's get started with your training now." Allura ordered and everyone moved at once. They placed dirty dishes in the dishwasher before the Paladins took off to their rooms to put their armour on before joining them and heading for the main hangar. Allura was walking next to Edward and Green when she spoke. "Will the Lions be able to transform back to their mechanical form without your assistance?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, they will. King Alfor's second array, the one I put in them, will run off of the quintessence around them now. The only reason I had to give them that first push was because the array had never been activated so it couldn't collect quintessence for them to use. Also because they wouldn't have been able to activate it by themselves. I imagine your father had to activate their other array before they could become them." Ed told her and she sighed in relief.

"I had thought that I would be needed to activate the array every time they wanted to transform. I am admittedly relieved that I do not. I am not sure I would be powerful or knowledgeable enough to do so." She confided and Ed hummed before glancing at her.

"I saw the library today. I can go through whatever alchemy texts you have and see what they say about your version of alchemy. It's unlikely I can perform your alchemy but I might be able to help you understand your alchemy better. If not, the Lions might be able to offer their help. They'd probably have more hands on experience with it, especially Red since King Alfor was her Paladin." Ed offered and she gave him a lovely smile.

"Let's see how we go with our search for Zarkon and your training with the others. If we have time, I'd love to take you up on that offer. Of course, you are allowed to read anything you find in the library though you may need to ask Pidge for a tablet so you can translate the Altean texts." She told him and he thanked her, mentally putting that piece of information aside for later. He wondered how hard it would be to learn Altean. If he could write his code in that language, he'd really upset anyone who tried to decipher it.

 _"It takes most people months to get the hang of basic Altean. Even my pilot is struggling with the language and she's easily the smartest Paladin here."_  Green told him, having sensed his thoughts. Blue huffed in amusement.

 _"Well_ my _Paladin is the best at learning different languages. He's fluent in four Earth dialects already_ and _he's already grasped the basics of Altean. He's moved on to the next level of the language and I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't as fluent as the princess and Coran within a years time."_  Blue bragged shamelessly. Green growled low in her throat while the very end of her tail twitched. Ed placed a hand on her head to soothe her and potentially stop a brawl.

"Everyone is a genius at different things. Your Paladins are no exception to that. Lance might be able to learn languages easier that everyone else but I'm positive there are things Pidge can do that no one else can. It's the same with Hunk, Shiro and Keith. Just because someone is better than your Paladin at one thing doesn't mean your Paladin isn't good at it as well." Green's irritation at her sister calmed down as she took in Edward's words. "And there's a difference between praising and bragging about someone, Blue. It's not nice of you to brag about Lance's abilities like that. Not only are you using him to put someone else down but you're also being unfair to Lance. What if he heard you bragging about him? It could put him under a lot of pressure to keep up with your expectations and he might get hurt because of that." Ed told the Blue Lion, who had at first been annoyed she was getting lectured before astounded that she hadn't thought of that.

 _"You're right. I am sorry, Kasvi."_  Blue apologised sincerely, the use of Green's true name somehow adding weight to the apology, and Lance looked at her with confusion. No one other than the two Lions and Ed had been involved in this conversation but he could sense the sudden emotional change in his Lion.

 _"Your apology is accepted, Vada."_  Green assured her, speeding up slightly to nuzzle her cheek affectionately. Then Green turned her sights on Ed, who stopped as soon as he saw that look. He managed to raise his automail arm up just in time to brace her front paws on it instead of his shoulders before he got a face full of green hair.

"Why are you like this?" He groaned as he shoved at her to stop the enthusiastic nuzzling so he could breathe once again. He felt something brush up against his back and turned his head to see Blue there, her eyes twinkling happily as she nuzzled his ribs. "Remember when I said I was allergic to affection? I meant it." He grumbled as he dropped his arm so Green fell back to the floor and reveal everyone watching him with amusement (Mustang and the rest of the Lions) and confusion (everybody else). He glared at Mustang, just because.

 _"No reason."_  Green and Blue told him, voices echoing off of each other in his head, something that was a little disconcerting.

"Sure." Ed said dryly before looking at everyone with a questioning look. "What? I thought we were going to the hangar." Ed said pointedly, making them all flinch when they realised they'd been staring.

"Yes. Let's keep going." Allura shooed them along and they were back on the move. Ed couldn't help but roll his eyes fondly as he felt the Lions amusement at the situation.

They finally made it to the main hangar with no more incidents and the two alchemists were given the short tour of the hangar, mainly to give the Lions the opportunity to properly check out the hangar. Once everyone had had everything explained to them and seen everything they wanted to see, the Lions all took their positions in the hangar. Everyone stood back, except for Edward who was overseeing the transformation just in case something happened, while the Lions glowed once more.

* * *

 

"Holy shit." Mustang said, gaping as he stared up at the massive, mechanical Lions that stood imposingly where the flesh-and-blood Lions had just been standing. Ed was joined by Lance, Hunk and Pidge in laughing at his boss' reaction. Keith and Shiro weren't laughing but they looked like they wanted to. Coran and Allura were nodding as though this was the only appropriate reaction.

"You okay there, Mustang?" Ed snorted in between laughs, causing Mustang to glare at him.

"Shut it, brat. I'm sure you're reaction was something similar." He snarked.

"Not really." Ed hummed. "I was more intrigued by the fact that massive mechanical Lions were talking to me in my head than I was about them being massive mechanical Lions." Ed told him as he frowned at the Paladins. "Why are none of you in your Lions yet? I thought you were supposed to be training in them." He asked, looking at each of them.

"Sorry, Ed, just had to wrap our heads around the fact that our Lions can shift forms again." Shiro told him sheepishly before gesturing for the Paladins to board their Lions.

Each Lion sat still until their Paladin was near them before lowering their heads and opening their jaws to let their pilots in. Mustang watched in awe as each Lion closed their jaws and their yellow eyes flashed before they stood simultaneously. Allura held a tablet in her hand while Coran monitored the Lions from another tablet.

"Paladins, are you ready?" Allura asked. Once she received five confirmations, she hurried Mustang, Ed and Coran out of the room. "We're heading back to the control room now. Run checks on your Lions. I'd like to know if their new ability has any affects on their systems." She ordered them as they made their way to the control room.

"Blue's reporting no changes to her systems." Lance came online just as they entered the room Allura led them to and Ed and Mustang took the opportunity to look around. Ed took one look at the control panels Coran was standing near and was suddenly grateful Garcia wasn't with them. They'd have to peel her off of the technology when they needed to leave.

"Black's reporting the same." Shiro told them and the other three Paladins reported no changes to any of the Lions. Allura was standing next to Coran and looking over her tablet.

"Nothing's showing up on my tablet. I believe the transformation has had zero affect on their systems. Let's proceed with the training. Exit the hangar." She ordered and they only had to wait a few moments before the five Lions roared past their window. Ed could feel the Lions excitement and couldn't help his grin. Allura was still looking at her tablet. "Lions are still at full functionality. Proceed with today's training." Allura told them,looking up from her tablet to watch them where they were hovering.

"Yes, Princess." Shiro said before the Lions pulled away from the ship and took off towards a field of asteroids. Allura was watching them carefully, an ear piece blinking on her right ear.

"This training will require your Lions to black out their front windows. You will not be able to see through the window. In order to navigate this asteroid field, you will need to have complete trust in your Lions and listen to their instructions. The goal is to get to the other side of the asteroid field with no damage to the Lions." Allura explained as she pulled the individual video feeds from each Lion up on screen. "Black out in 3, 2, 1." She counted down and the feed from inside each cockpit showed the windows go pitch black, leaving the pilots blind.

"Paladins, you'll be entering the asteroid field in five ticks." Coran told them, fiddling with something on the panel in front of him. "You've entered the field. Good luck, Paladins. For every bit of damage those Lions receive, you'll get to scrub one cryotube!" Coran informed them cheerily, causing at least three of the Paladins to groan. Ed could feel the amusement rolling through the Lions before everyone fell silent and the training began.

Ed and Mustang watched on the video feeds as the Lions sped up and weaved their way through the flying boulders with far more precision and agility than either alchemist thought possible, considering their size. Keith and Lance seemed to have broken off into their own competition, something Shiro had only half-heartedly tried to prevent. Hunk was talking to Yellow, giving her compliments and encouragement that slow and steady won the race. Ed was convinced Hunk didn't know he was actually talking out loud. Pidge and Shiro were mostly silent, Shiro only speaking to intervene if Lance and Keith got a bit too competitive and Pidge muttered expletives every now and then when they had a close call.

For the most part, everyone got through the training unscathed. Red had narrowly lost when Lance had performed a particularly tricky manoveour through a hole in an asteroid barely big enough for Blue to fit through but had paid off when the Blue Lion had exited the field only half a body length in front of Red. The resulting whoop of victory from Lance and stream of compliments for his blue lady had Ed feeling Blue's furious blushing and overwhelming pride for her pilot. Keith scowled on the video feed but since Red didn't feel overly upset, Ed figured Keith didn't mind losing.

"Good job, Paladins. Did everyone get out of the field with no damage?" Shiro asked as he brought Black to rest on a large asteroid that was floating nearby.

"I think Yellow might have gotten hit." Hunk admitted a little sheepishly.

"Pretty sure Green and I hit one as well." Pidge told them grumpily. Ed could sort of feel Green trying to soothe the irate girl.

"We'll check the Lions for damage when you bring them back in." Allura told them before looking back at her tablet. "Now you are going to come back through the asteroid field however this time you are going to be split into two teams. Your goals for this are to get your whole team through the asteroid field with no damage and to beat the other team. You will have full visibility for this. You can use non-lethal attacks to slow down the other team. If you are hit by an attack, you are to pause your Lion for five ticks before you can move again. The winning team will be the one that has all members on this side of the field first." Allura told them and they could all see the excitement on the Paladins faces before Pidge brought up a small problem.

"There are five of us though. The team split up wouldn't be fair." She pointed out and Allura nodded, despite the fact that none of the Paladins could see that.

"Yes, it is. But life is unfair. The team with three may have the advantage of numbers against the other team but that is a, what do you call it, a catch 44?" Allura asked.

"I believe 'catch-22' is the phrase you're after, Princess Allura." Mustang told her and she nodded.

"Thank you. A catch-22. They might be able to slow the smaller team down but they have more people to get through the field without receiving damage." Allura told them and they had to admit she had a point. "Now, the teams are-"

"Garrison trio versus the Broganes!" Lance called out, Pidge and Hunk cheering their agreement with the split. Allura sighed.

"Shiro, Keith, are you two okay with this?" She asked and received their assent. "Okay. Shiro and Keith, stay on this frequency. Lance, Pidge and Hunk, switch to the secondary frequency. You all have five dobashes to come up with a plan before this portion of training starts once more." Allura ordered, seemingly done before remembering something. "Oh, yes. Lions, full visibility for the cockpit, please." She requested and the Lions eyes light back up and a glimpse at the feed from Lance's cockpit showed Blue had restored his visibility. The other Lions were quick to follow suit.

In the interest of fairness, Allura muted their conversations so those still on the ship couldn't hear the planning stage and no one in the Lions could overhear them via the ships comms. Ed watched over the video feeds as Lance, Pidge and Hunk seemed to be very enthusiastic about planning their strategy while Keith and Shiro were far more serious looking. Ed barely stopped himself from jumping when Blue contacted him.

 _"Lance has a proposition for you."_  Blue told him and Ed kept his face carefully neutral.

"I'm listening." Ed told her, bemusement rippling through him at how serious they were being. It was almost like being in one of DiNozzo's spy movies.

 _"He, as well as Pidge and Hunk, would appreciate it if you could use your connection with Red and Black to tell us what they were planning. Discreetly, of course."_  She passed along the message.

"What's in it for me?" Ed asked, barely managing to keep the smirk from his lips as he watched the so called Garrison Trio still talk animatedly about their plans on the screen, as if they weren't having a completely secondary discussion with him. Blue didn't respond for quite a while but she did eventually get back to him when they'd reached the one dobash mark.

 _"Hunk is willing to make you whatever kind of cookies you want, or the space equivalent of them, once we're back on the ship, providing he isn't injured. Pidge is willing to give you a tablet that you can take photos and videos with to show your family back in Amestris. She is also willing to teach you how to build it and you can chose how it charges so you can take the design with you. Lance is willing to teach you Altean and Galran so you can speak and read it quicker. Green, Yellow and I are willing to corner your boss if he annoys you and you need to get out of the room."_  Blue told him quickly.

"30 ticks remaining, Paladins." Allura said over the comms, startling the Garrison Trio. Ed could feel the mild panic and anticipation coming from the three Lions trying to win him over.

"I get all of that and all I have to do is try and read Red and Black's movements and warn you guys? Even if you lose?" Ed asked, almost enjoying the panic he was causing.

 _"Yes."_  Blue told him, almost begging right now.

"I accept the terms. Consider me part of the team." Ed told all three Lions at once and the relief that flooded through their bond almost knocked him off his feet. He grinned as Allura made the announcement.

"Alright, Paladins. Good luck. Don't kill each other. Commencing this training segment in 3, 2, 1." Allura warned and all of the Lions roared before splitting into their teams and entering the field. Coran had split their feeds up on the screen in front of them so they could see how each team was doing.

* * *

 

For the first few seconds, everyone's focus was on getting through the field as fast as possible, each team trying to be ahead of the other before the fighting actually started. Ed was focusing on keeping Red and Black from being suspicious about his presence through their bond.

"Red's going to fire at Green's flank. Blue, deflect the shot." Ed told them and watched as Red did as he predicted. Blue managed a perfect shot and Red's attack was deflected. Ed could sense Red's surprise but there wasn't any suspicion aimed his way. Hunk used Yellow to throw a small asteroid in Black's path, forcing the head of Voltron to do a sharp dive to avoid it, the asteroid barely skimming Black's back. They were a quarter of the way through the field by now.

There were plenty of laser shots fired, all set at the minimal setting, and both Black and Blue were forced to halt for five ticks when they got hit. Ed was watching the fight with rapt attention, keeping his bond with the Lions open while not drawing suspicion from Red and Black as each of their attacks failed, for the most part. Ed soon spotted an opportunity to slow Red down as the Lion was now in the front.

"Yellow, get on Red's left. Blue, stay behind Yellow but get ready with an ice attack. Green, distract Black on my mark." Ed told them and waited as they took up positions. He could feel Red and Black's apprehension when they did so. "Okay, guys, when I say so, Green, you're gonna do something to draw their attention from Yellow and Blue. Even a split second would be helpful. Yellow, you're gonna grab that medium sized asteroid, throw it at Red, preferably her hind legs but front will do and then you're gonna dive. Blue, you're gonna use your ice beam on the asteroid and ice it to Red's leg. Then you guys are going to gun it. I predict that you'll be nearly three quarters through the field before Shiro and Keith catch up. Got it?" He asked and received three excited and nervous confirmations. "Green, now!" He ordered and watched as the Green Lion turned on it's heels and rapid fire shots at Black, forcing the larger Lion to double back and tack cover behind an asteroid. Red and Keith reflexively went to turn towards Green. "Yellow, Blue!" Ed called and watched as Yellow batted an asteroid like a cat with a ball of yarn at Red, who noticed almost too late and made a move to go over it when Blue struck. The ice-beam hit the asteroid and knocked it into Red's left hind leg and the ice made sure it stuck. The three Lions immediately sped off for the finish line with the added bonus of forcing Black to pause for five ticks after Pidge and Green managed to sneak in an extra shot when their attention was on Red.

"That was a very clever plan." Mustang praised, eyeing Edward up. Ed did his best to keep his grin at the plan's success from showing but he was fairly certain it failed, given Mustang's smirk.

"It was. But that doesn't mean they've won this. Shiro and Keith are formidable opponents." Allura said, visibly excited with how this fight was going. She hadn't expected anything like this. Coran was also eyeing Ed with a knowing glint. The blonde pretended not to notice.

"I didn't realise the Lions had elemental powers." Ed casually said and Allura nodded, not noticing Mustang's suspicious sounding cough.

"Oh yes. They're the guardians of a particular element. Blue is water, Yellow is earth, Green is plants, Red is fire and Black is sky. This also means each Lion is suited to a particular environment more so than the others. Blue, for example, would find it easiest on a water or ice planet whereas Red would struggle more. This is something we have to take into consideration when infiltrating Galran bases or answering distress calls." Allura told him and Ed was actually listening to her with interest. He may have known about their elemental powers but he never thought about how they'd go in different environments.

"That's fascinating. I wonder if they're built differently to suit their environment." Ed mused out loud. Mustang looked amused at his interest but he elected to ignore the older man. He focused back on the fight. "Yellow, climb now." Yellow followed his instruction, successfully avoiding the shot Black had aimed at him. The two other Lions had now caught up and neither pilot looked impressed at how much time they'd lost. The edge of the asteroid field was only a minute of flying, if that, away. "Green, go invisible." Green did so and now Pidge and her Lion were focused solely on getting out of the asteroid field.

"Shit. Forgot she could do that." Keith swore over the intercom. Ed snorted. If his 'enemy' could turn invisible, he'd remember that.

"Keith, you focus on Blue. I've got Yellow." Shiro said and Ed went to relay that when something caused him to pause. While that certainly sounded like the best plan, Ed had a niggling feeling they weren't going to follow it.

"Roger, Shiro." Keith confirmed and, yep, Ed was right. Keith aimed his tail laser at Yellow, not Blue.

"Yellow, go left and kick that asteroid back. Blue, speed up and get through those two asteroids that are about to collide." Ed told them and watched on the screen as they did so. The shot from Red missed Yellow and barely missed Blue. If she had whiskers in this form, they'd have been singed. Red dodged the asteroid Yellow had kicked, obviously having learnt their lesson last time while Black had to stop short when the asteroids Blue had just squeezed between blocked her path.

"Keith, stop attacking. Let's head for the end of the field." Shiro ordered and Keith grunted his agreement. Green had already lost her cloak and was waiting patiently on the edge of the field for her teammates.

"Come on, Lance and Hunk!" Pidge screamed into her helmet, bouncing on her seat as the four Lions floored it. Blue and Red came in neck and neck and halted next to Green. Now it was down to Black and Yellow. Ed felt his pulse pounding in his ears as he watched anxiously.

"Go, Hunk!" Lance and Pidge practically screamed, causing Ed and Mustang to flinch at the volume. Allura, Coran and Keith were unaffected, presumably because they were used to it. Black and Yellow flashed passed the other Lions so quickly, no one could tell who'd crossed the line first.

"Allura?" Shiro asked, voice sounding far younger and more excited than Ed had expected. Allura pulled the footage up and scrutinised it. Then she pulled footage from Black's external camera, viewed it then did the same with Yellow's. She closed the footage down.

"It appears to be a draw. Congratulations, Paladins. Please return to the Castle and land your Lions in the main hangar. I assume they wish to transform back into their flesh forms." She told them and the resulting disbelief at the results of the race was shaken off when they were reminded of their Lions new abilities and soon a race for the Castle broke out between the Garrison Trio. Green won because Pidge was a little shit, or so Lance would claim later.

* * *

 

Those of them who weren't just in a Lion waited for the Paladins to join them up on the control deck. Allura and Coran fussed over the Lions systems readings that Allura had pulled up on the screen the video feeds had previously been displayed on. Ed was drawn into the technical side of things, forever curious about things he didn't know. Mustang soon couldn't hide his own curiousity any more and started asking questions of his own. The two alchemists had been so intrigued by the information they were getting, they'd forgotten all about the actual Lions and Paladins until they'd burst into the room,

"Dude!" Lance exclaimed as he damn near tackled Ed to the floor, beating Blue, Yellow and Green by only a couple of seconds. Ed yelped as he struggled to keep his balance, managing only because Yellow was standing behind him. "That was awesome!  _Dios,_ how did you come up with something like that?!" Lance asked, unsticking himself from Ed's side but keeping his hands on the blonde's shoulders. Pidge and Hunk came up out of nowhere and attached themselves to the blonde as well. Keith and Shiro had walked in when Hunk and Pidge had and both were looking at Ed, realisation dawning on them.

"You helped them?!" Keith spluttered while Red and Black simply nodded.

 _"We thought you were. You did well keeping it from us until Yellow and Blue's Paladins started their attack."_  Black told Ed when he questioned their reaction. Ed flushed a little. He thought he'd managed to keep his anticipation down.

"Yeah." Ed told the two Paladins who weren't currently hanging off of him. Keith almost looked betrayed. "Hunk promised me cookies if I did." Ed told them, almost apologetically. Shiro and Keith actually looked understanding.

"Yeah, fair enough." Shiro said and Keith snorted. Ed was a little surprised at how understanding they were that he'd sided with the 'enemy' for some cookies. Hunk's cookies must be amazing and Ed was really looking forward to trying them now.

"I must confess that I'm not sure what you are talking about." Allura said, reminding Ed that there were other people in the room with them.

"Oh, Blue contacted me with an offer from these three to see if I could use my connections with Black and Red to figure out what they were going to do and warn them about it. I could and I did." Ed told her and she looked rather impressed.

"Good job utilising the resources available to you." She praised, causing the three youngest Paladins to flush in varying degrees.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Keith whispered to Shiro.

"What could we have offered to beat Hunk's cookies?" Shiro asked him and Keith realised he had a point.

"You let yourself get bribed by cookies?" Mustang asked incredulously. He'd figured Ed was up to something, the kid had the worst poker face in this kind of situation, but obviously had no idea what kind of deal he'd struck.

"See if I share any of the cookies with you now." Ed sniffed haughtily.

"Rude brat." Mustang muttered, gaining a new bruise from the punch Ed landed on his shoulder.

"I hate to break up this friendly banter," Coran interjected before Mustang could retaliate, "but I believe you need to read this report, Princess." He indicated to a file he'd apparently pulled up while they were distracted. Allura immediately moved away from them so she could read it. Ed tried but the symbols were completely foreign to him and he couldn't make any sense of them.

Everyone was silent while Allura read through the whole thing. It must have been extremely detailed because it took her a little while before she reached the end of the document. Her face was unreadable as she faced Coran.

"Were you able to verify this?" She asked him and he nodded.

"Yes. There are five more reports from different planets neighbouring this one that describe the same thing. I believe this to be legitimate." He told her and she sighed. It took Ed a moment to realise that sigh wasn't one of disappointment or sadness; it was the sigh of someone who'd just received news they'd been waiting a long time for.

"Allura?" Shiro asked, taking a step forward before catching himself and stopping.

"We've just received a communication from a planet approximately five galaxies away." Allura said, deadly serious as she turned to face them. "Their planet and their neighbouring planets are under siege by the Galra. They're requesting Voltron's aid and they have asked us to make them top priority. We'll be wormholing to the edge of their galaxy immediately before travelling at normal speed to reach them." Allura told them, causing the Paladins to frown at each other. Ed and Mustang didn't understand their confusion.

"Why is it so urgent to help this planet right away?" Hunk asked, hands wringing nervously.

"Yeah, and if it's so important for us to help this planet ASAP, why aren't we wormholing right to them?" Keith asked demandingly.

"Because this document claims that the one leading the assault on this planet and galaxy is Zarkon and it claims that Haggar is with him. We're travelling like this so we have some time to scan the galaxy and come up with a plan." Allura told them before walking over to an elevated section of the floor and placing her hands on the poles in front of her, causing them to glow slightly. "Prepare the ship for a wormhole jump, Coran. Everyone else, prepare yourselves." Allura ordered, causing everyone to scramble and make sure they were ready for the jump. Ed stood behind Lance and Blue, automail arm gripping the back of his chair while Mustang was over with Black and Shiro.

"Make sure you're holding on. Wormhole jumps can be unsettling when you're standing." Lance warned him and Ed gripped the chair even tighter, stomach churning with nerves and excitement. He glanced over at his boss and saw his normal mask set firmly in place. Mustang met his eyes and both exchanged smirks before Coran's voice got their attention.

"Ready when you are, princess!" Coran told her and she nodded.

"Prepare for wormhole jump." Allura called out and Ed felt Blue lean against his leg tighter as Lance wrapped his arm around her neck a little tighter. A massive circle that looked suspiciously like a decorative array appeared in front of them and they headed straight for it. Ed took a deep breath as they approached it as Blue pressed soothingly on his mind just as they passed through the circle and were sent hurtling through the glowing tunnel.


	9. Chapter 9

The wormhole jump was... exhilarating, to say the least. Ed wasn't sure how he'd ever be able to describe this to Alphonse but it was like nothing he'd ever gone through and that was saying something. He felt like his entire body was only barely holding together. His automail felt both heavier than normal and lighter than it had ever been. He wasn't positive he was breathing but at the same time, he could feel every cell that made up his lungs expanding with the effort it took to breathe. He could feel Blue against the top half of his left leg and he would later swear that it felt like the cells that made up the part of her that touched him was trying to merge into him.

The whole experience only lasted a minute at most and Ed could not believe they managed to cross five galaxies in that short amount of time. If Ed were being honest, the fact that he was even in space, on a spaceship, was still unbelievable but to be fair, out of everything that had happened since Truth kidnapped him, it was the most believable fact out of everything. When the Castle-ship did leave the wormhole, it didn't jerk to a stop suddenly like Ed had assumed it would. He likened it to falling from a great height before landing on an extremely soft pillow that molded to your body and slowed your momentum at a comfortable yet quick pace. When they did come to a complete halt, he couldn't help the loud gasp he let out.

"How you doing?" Lance asked, half teasing and half concerned as he turned around to look up at him.

"That was awesome! Do we get to do more of that?" He asked, grinning like a mad man down at the Cuban boy. Lance didn't bother hiding his laughter at the slightly crazed blonde.

"Probably once we've defeated Zarkon and Haggar. We might need to make a pretty quick getaway if the remaining Galra try to attack. If they do attack though and we're still in good shape, I can't see Allura retreating without a fight." Lance told him and Ed nodded. That sounded pretty much like Alphonse. He himself was definitely more of a 'fight until you can't and then keep going' style.

"Yeah, I'm getting that vibe from her as well. It's annoyingly like having a female alien version of my brother." Ed told him, causing Lance to snort. "How you holding up, old man?!" Ed hollered across the deck at Mustang. The man hadn't said anything to him yet but he and Shiro looked like they were in a discussion similar to his and Lance's. At his shouted question, Mustang turned with a very familiar annoyed scowl so Ed figured he came out of the experience well enough.

"I'm perfectly fine, brat." Mustang told him, sounding haughty to anyone else but Ed could hear the tone he used when he was relieved that they were able to banter normally.

"Everyone, please gather back in front of me." Allura requested, waiting patiently as they did so. Ed took the time it took to walk over to admire the new section of space. He could see a planet in the distance and new constellations and distant galaxies. He half wanted to see if he could explore it before this upcoming fight. "Thank you. By our calculations, we should reach the cluster of planets Zarkon and Haggar are currently targeting within five quintents, not including the cycle we are currently in. During this time, training will be maximised. I ask that Edward and Brigadier-General Mustang to please join us during training so we can find the best way for us to work effectively as a complete team." At this, she looked directly at Ed and Mustang who had, out of habit, moved to stand next to each other.

"Of course, Miss Allura. I promised the Lions I'd join them for a training session anyway." Ed told her and couldn't stop the warmth her grateful smile made him feel.

"We would be honoured to join you and your team in their training sessions." Mustang assured her and some of the tension Allura was under visibly left her and she stood a little straighter than before.

"I can't thank you two enough." She told them solemnly. "I know this isn't your war and I know you didn't ask to be part of it but I can't help but admit to being much more confident in going forward with this confrontation. While our Paladins and their bond, not only with each other but their Lions, are some of the strongest I've ever witnessed, I know we would not even be considering the idea of bringing the fight to Zarkon and Haggar this quickly. So truly; thank you." Allura thanked them and they were almost overwhelmed with her sincerity.

 _"We are beyond grateful you decided to help us, Edward. Your help in this fight may very well win the war for our Paladins and bring them that much closer to returning to their home so we are thankful for that. Much more than you'll ever know. We're even thankful for your boss helping us."_  Black told him and Ed snorted at the hard-pressed tone Black said the last part in.

"Eventually you lot will tell me what your issue with Mustang is." Ed told her and the smirk he could feel told him he probably wouldn't find out anytime soon.

"While you are undertaking your training, Coran and I will be communicating in secret with the planets that have reached out to us so we can gather as much information about the Galra and their movements. I do not want you focusing on anything other than your training. As long as everyone is agreeable, I'd like you to be training in blocks of three varga with one varga of rest time in between each. These one varga slots will be for you to relax, rest and eat. If we can manage it, I would like you to participate in at least two training blocks as a whole team. I know there is a second training room that Lance has been making use of in the past. If you do choose to split up the group training, you can use that room." Allura told them and Lance looked like he wanted to disappear when everyone's attention focused on him.

"What?" He asked, a little apprehensively. "It's better for me to practice my shooting by myself and that training room is a far better shooting range than the main training room." He told them somewhat defensively, like he was trying to justify his reasons.

"You're a sniper?" Ed asked and Lance shook his head.

"No. I mean, my bayard can transform into either my rifle, a sniper rifle or a pistol but I'm not that great with my sniper rifle." Lance told him and Ed cocked his head a little.

"They look like they'd disagree with you there." Ed said, nodding to the other Paladins, all of whom looked anywhere from disbelieving to mildly outraged at his words.

"Lance, that is utter nonsense. You are the teams sharpshooter and an exceptionally talented one at that." Allura told him, leaving no room for argument. She never even offered Lance the slightest opportunity to try and argue as she moved back onto the topic of their preparation for the upcoming fight. "You will have ten vargas allocated for dinner and sleep. Any extra time can be used as you wish so long as you get at those nine vargas of training done. The Lions will not be allowed to leave the Castle-ship in any form. We cannot afford to attract attention to ourselves by having someone spot them. Thankfully, we can cloak the ship now thanks to Pidge, Hunk and Coran's efforts but the only Lion with cloaking abilities is Green and even then they don't last very long." Allura stopped for a moment, trying to figure out if there was anything else she needed to address.

"When did you want to sit down to come up with a battle plan?" Shiro asked and Allura hummed a little.

"We need to gather data first. If need be, we may have to organise a stealth mission with one of the shuttles. If we can get figure out how Zarkon's ship is built, we may be able to infiltrate it easier." Allura said before shaking her head. "We'd need to be much closer to them to that though. Coran and I will keep correspondence with the threatened planets and use the information they provide to come up with at least a rough plan. We will have a battle strategy meeting the day before we attack." Allura told them and Ed shifted as he made a decision.

"I might be able to help with figuring out how Zarkon's ship is built." He told them, getting Allura's complete attention. "With my tracking array, I see everything. I see every single detail, room and person. If you can get me close enough to the ship, I can give you a complete overview of what it looks like. It won't be 100% accurate since I'd be recalling the details from memory but you'll have an idea of its setup, at least." Ed offered and Allura looked like she wanted to hug him.

"The mind-sharing devices!" Pidge exclaimed suddenly, causing everyone to turn to her. "If Edward can look at the whole thing with his array, we can use the mind-sharing devices to project what he sees and make a copy from that so we've got something to refer back to." She explained and Coran beamed at the smallest Paladin.

"Excellent thinking, Number 5!" He praised her, causing the young girl to grin happily.

"That's a fantastic idea, Pidge." Allura told her but Mustang interrupted the praising.

"Hold on. What exactly is this mind-sharing device?" He asked, not willing to let Edward use something they had no knowledge of.

"They're devices we use sometimes during team-bonding." Pidge started to explain. "The user wear them on their head and they can project what they're seeing as a kind of hologram, I guess. It looks like they have a small screen in front of their face that's playing a film or shows a picture so everyone can see it." Pidge said and Ed balked a little.

"So you would be able to see everything in my head?" He asked and Pidge quickly shook her head.

"No, only what you're thinking about in that moment. So because you'd be thinking about what the ship looks like, we'd see that and only that, so long as you don't get distracted by something." Pidge assured him and Ed settled a bit. There were definitely things in his head no one ever needed to see. He glanced at Mustang, trying to get an idea of his thoughts on it. The man didn't act like he noticed but he did give one-shoulder shrug that Ed took to mean he didn't have any more worries about it.

"Okay. We'll do that." Ed agreed and Allura placed a delicate hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently in thanks before turning back to the group once more.

"That's all for now. I suggest you use the time between now and dinner to get some training in. This fight will be the most important one we've fought. This one will decide whether the war ends with it or if we do. I don't think I need to emphasise anymore just how pivotal this fight will be. " Allura told them. Hunk was paling slightly, swallowing nervously and fidgeting. Pidge looked as though she was determined but also trying not to throw up. Lance looked worried but was trying to be confident, even though his knuckles had whitened slightly from the strength of the grip he hand on a tuft of Blue's hair. Shiro and Keith looked as unflappable as ever, jaws tightening slightly as they let the magnitude of this fight sink in. All of the Lions were standing beside their respective Paladin, looking fierce and ready to fight.

"No pressure or anything." Lance mumbled, easing the tension slightly. Allura looked slightly stricken.

"I apologise, Paladins. I did not mean for my words to cause you additional stress." She certainly looked upset. "I merely wished to express the importance of this battle. I have every faith that we will emerge from this battle victorious, just like we have with every battle we've fought before now." She told them and Ed could tell her faith in them had the effect she was after. Everyone in the room relaxed, if only slightly.

"We never doubted your trust in us, Allura." Shiro assured her. "We'll be in the main training room if you need us before dinner." He told her and she nodded before turning to discuss the situation further with Coran. With a jerk of his head, Shiro gestured for them to leave the room and they did so.

* * *

The walk down to the training room was filled with anxious tension. It seemed the events from the last few minutes were sinking in for everyone. In less than an Earth week, this whole adventure could be over. One final battle and this 10,000 year long war could be brought to an end. For Mustang and Edward, the nerves weren't as bad. They didn't have anything other than their lives on the line here. If they failed, all they stood to lose would be the years they should have lived. For the Paladins, the consequences were fair more dire. Their families, their lives, their planet, all of that would be lost if they didn't succeed here.

"Alright, let's discuss the training schedule. How do we want to do this?" Shiro asked once they were inside the room and sitting in a circle. There was something that would be forever funny about seeing Mustang sitting cross-legged on the floor for Edward, who valiantly suppressed a giggle at the sight.

"We obviously need to commit one block of training every day for the whole team, Lions and the alchemists to train together." Lance said, resting his elbows on his crossed legs and resting his head on his hands. "What we should figure out first is how we're going to split up for the actual battle." He pointed out.

"Wait, we're splitting up? Why? Isn't it always better to stick together? Splitting up is how people get killed in horror movies, Lance!" Hunk said, panicking slightly before Lance managed to calm him down.

"Easy, Hunk! Of course we're going to split up. Zarkon and Haggar aren't going to wait patiently while we fight them one at a time." Lance told him and Hunk didn't look happy about his rational thinking. Shiro was nodding.

"Lance is right. We can't expect Zarkon to wait while we take down Haggar or vice versa. This battle will have to be two simultaneously fought fights." Shiro said and Hunk looked even less happy than before. "Obviously, Edward will be the one to face Haggar as that's the whole reason for him being here. All we need to do is figure out who goes with him and whoever's left will be the ones to face Zarkon." At this, Shiro looked at Ed who immediately held his hands up in a 'hold on' gesture.

"I don't know how you lot fight. Which means I don't know who I could trust to be able to fight with me without us getting in each others way. Even Mustang and I aren't suited to each others styles. He's long distance while I'm much more up close." Ed told them, Mustang nodding next to him. Shiro went to suggest something when he saw Ed looking at Lance, seemingly contemplating something. Blue was watching Ed, her expression unreadable. It didn't take long for Edward to apparently come to a decision. "Actually, I want Lance on my team." He said, causing the Blue Paladin to jump and look at him, a hilariously shocked expression on his face.

"What?" He asked, voice slightly strangled and a far cry from the cocky Lance confidence they would've expected.

"You're long distance. Unlike Mustang though, your long distance style would benefit me more. Mustang's too obvious. Fire is great for distracting an opponent but not so much so for sneak attacks. You can fire a shot, move and fire again all before your opponent has figured out where you were originally. If you shoot at the right time, you can end Haggar with one shot, or bring her down long enough for me to take her out. So, I want you with me when I fight against Haggar." Ed told him matter-of-factly. Lance looked stunned.

"But you haven't seen me fight." Lance frowned and Ed put his hands behind him and leaned back.

"Don't have to." He told him, shrugging a shoulder. "The way they reacted earlier when you said you weren't that good a sniper told me what I needed to know." Ed jutted his chin towards the other Paladins. Lance's eyes flicked to the group before finding their way back to Ed.

"Are you sure?" He asked and Ed nodded.

"Yup." He popped the 'p'. "Now I need one more person." He said, studying Shiro for a moment. "I still want to see your team in action though." He told him and Shiro nodded curtly.

"Of course." He thought for a second. "So what we'll do for today is the Paladins will do team training against the gladiators. Just us without the Lions." He added when the Lions shifted excitedly.

 _"Rude."_  Black complained loudly, causing Ed to laugh and Shiro to apologise while the other Lions grumbled in the back of Ed's mind.

"When they've finished their training, we can use the training room." Ed told them all, making them perk up with excitement.

"Do you two want to stay here or go up to the observation deck?" Shiro asked as he stood up, everyone else following his lead.

"We'll stay here, if that's alright with you." Mustang said and Shiro nodded.

"Sure. Just stay over there against the wall with the Lions." Shiro said, pointing to where the Lions had gone to sit against. Ed and Mustang made their way over there, Mustang a little more apprehensively than Ed thought necessary. Ed nestled up against Black and Red, despite Red's grumbles, and immediately had Yellow lying across his lap, putting most of her weight, thankfully, on his automail leg.

"You comfortable?" He asked sarcastically and groaned when Yellow squirmed before giving him a cheeky grin.

 _"I am now."_  She informed him sweetly. Mustang sat down on Red's other side, back against the wall and one leg straight out in front of him and one bent and pulled up to his chest. Blue settled next to him, close enough he could pat her if he dared but not close enough that she actually touched him. Green was curled up on Blue, eyeing Mustang with one eye while keeping the other on her Paladin.

"Training sequence: level 48." Shiro called out, voice crisp and clear. The training room sounded a short musical sequence to indicate the program heard the request and the floor opened up in several spots, releasing nearly fifty gladiators who waited patiently for someone to give them the code to start. Some of these gladiators were armed with a staff similar to the one Mustang used earlier while some were armed with two shorter staffs and some who weren't armed at all. The Paladins drew their bayards from their armoured thighs, something that caused Ed and Mustang to gape at, at transformed them into their weapons. In Shiro's case, his entire hand and arm up to the elbow glowed bright purple and he held himself in a style that somewhat reminded Ed of Ling before Greed took over his body. "Begin training sequence: level 48." Shiro called out and everybody tensed at the gladiators eyes lit up and they took up their programmed fighting positions.

* * *

Ed and Mustang scrutinised them carefully as they moved through the training sequence fluidly with only minor hiccups here and there. Lance was impressive, nearly at Hawkeye's level, and rarely missed a shot. The only problem he had was he focused far too much on his team and not enough on himself, a weakness that would've been exploited if Pidge hadn't noticed it in time and used her grappling hook to trip the gladiator sneaking up on him, letting Lance fire a round into its head. Shiro and Keith seemed to work best together, moving in sync so well they reminded Mustang of Edward and Alphonse when they fought side by side. Hunk looked panicky, like he wasn't comfortable with his weapon or shooting the gladiators but he did his job well, almost every shot from his mini-cannon hitting the target. Ed noticed a lot of the shots he landed didn't hit where he'd aimed but with a gun that big, it almost didn't matter.

Keith was by far the closest to Ed's fighting style. He had training but his moves were more instinct than thought out and he was just this side of reckless when it came to his own safety. Shiro and Lance both had to take care of gladiators Keith didn't notice right away or didn't take down with a fatal shot. Shiro, on the other hand, was far more calculating in his fighting style. Every move was considered and decided upon in a split second and he didn't leave any survivors in his wake. There was only one time Lance had to take out one of his opponents and that was when Shiro had been forced back-to-back with Keith when the younger boy found himself trying to take on three gladiators with four more rapidly approaching his 6. An eighth gladiator tried to take the opportunity presented to it and go for Shiro while he was fully occupied. A blue laser blast streaked through a small gap presented between two of the gladiators, made it's way through a third gladiators head before taking the targeted gladiator out with a shot to its mechanical throat. Three more rapid fire shots took care of two of Shiro's opponents and one of Keith's, giving the two the breathing room they needed to quickly dispatch the remaining gladiators.

By the time the two had gotten themselves free on the remaining gladiators, Lance had turned his sights on one Hunk had missed, cleanly taking it out before using his blaster as a club to knock one down that came at him. Pidge fired her grappling hook at it and electricity crackled down the green energy rope that connected the two parts, shocking the gladiator full of enough energy to kill it. Hunk sent multiple shots at the remaining three gladiators that struggled to stand once more and with those shots, the gladiators were all destroyed. The floor opened back up to remove the damaged robots and a voice announced the level's successful completion.

"End training session." Shiro called out before turning to the others. "Good job, team. Keith, you need to learn that you are not the only person fighting them and try to take them all on at once. Lance, great shooting but watch your back. We can take care of ourselves enough that you don't have to neglect your own safety. Pidge, nice job utilising your bayard and protecting your team mates. I saw you toying with those two gladiators so they'd take each other out but you almost got hit as well. Just take them out quickly so you don't end up hurt. Hunk, your aim has improved since last time but you do need to trust yourself more." Shiro critiqued them and they all nodded to acknowledge they'd heard him.

Sensing they were finished training for now and waiting for them to join them, Mustang and Ed got to their feet and headed over to where the Paladins were waiting. The Lions dutifully followed them, joining back up with their pilots and waiting for whatever was about to happen.

"Do you have an idea of who else you want on your team, Edward? I don't mean to be pushy but I'd like for the two teams to split up and train for the rest of today." Shiro told him and Ed dismissed the apology.

"I get it." He assured him and thought over his choices. "Pidge, can you adjust the voltage your weapon discharges?" He asked the young girl.

"Uh, yeah. I can increase or decrease the voltage amount to better suit the situation." She told him and he nodded.

"Okay. I'd like you on my team. Is that alright with you?" He asked and she went to say something but just nodded instead, trying to act like she hadn't been about to ask anything But Edward caught it. "What?" He asked and she grimaced a little at having not hidden it as well as she thought.

"I was just curious as to why you want me to face Haggar with you and Lance." She told him and Ed could see the other Paladins were curious about it as well.

"Well, half because of your weapon. I imagine Haggar is as immune to electricity as we are and if you can manage to get that grappling hook around her, turn the voltage all the way up, you'd at least knock her on her arse." He told her, shifting his weight onto one leg and gesturing with his hand. "The other reason is because of you yourself. You're very unassuming and I imagine a lot of your enemies underestimate you because of your build or you gender and you make them regret that assumption, am I right?" Pidge grinned sharply and Ed got his answer. "Your electricity might also help Lance and I as well."

"How?" Shiro asked and Ed's eyes flicked over to meet his.

"When you faced her in that video Mustang and I saw, your video went black before Allura and Hunk turned up. She got into your head somehow, didn't she?" He asked and Shiro grimaced at the memory.

"Yeah. It was like she trapped me in my own mind and made me relive things I'd done while their prisoner and she was in there with me." He told them, keeping his face carefully blank. Keith rested a hand on his arm lightly and Lance and Hunk looked like they were two words away from crushing him in a hug.

"I thought so. I'd bet that that is one of her go-to moves, like my automail blade is for me. Why wouldn't she try stopping her victim by trapping them in their own head? That's where Pidge would come in. If Lance or I got trapped like that, you could shock us out of it, literally." Ed went back to speaking with her and Pidge nodded.

"That's pretty smart. A sharp shock could break any magical grip she had on someone." Pidge admitted. "Good thinking." She told him.

"I have my moments." Ed deadpanned, causing Mustang to snort softly. Ed tried to elbow him but he managed to get out of the way quick enough to avoid it. Red made a warning noise when Mustang ended up nearly stepping on her.

"Okay. Lance and Pidge, are you both okay with fighting alongside Edward and facing Haggar?" Shiro asked and Edward felt his respect for the man grow a little. Not many leaders would make sure their subordinates were okay with what they were asked to do. Both the Blue and Green Paladins nodded. "Okay. Head over to the second training room and start training together. We'll see you guys at dinner time. Don't push yourselves too hard. We don't need anyone visiting a healing pod now." Shiro ordered them.

"Sure thing, Shiro." Lance told him, much closer to his normal self than he had been. Blue and Green led the way to training room with their Paladins and Edward struggling to keep pace with them. Mustang watched as Edward left the room, only glancing back at him before he went through the doors to offer him a reassuring smile.

"Alright. I know we'll be facing Zarkon but I think we should focus on becoming cohesive as a team first. So we'll start with the low gladiator levels so we can all get used to fighting alongside each other without Lance and Pidge alongside us and with Brigadier-General Mustang's style added." Shiro decided and got nods all around.

"You can address me by just my last name, if you'd like. The only reason I haven't offered that yet is because people addressing me by my rank annoys Fullmetal." Mustang told them and Shiro looked like he wanted to ask but decided to leave it for the moment.

"No worries." He said instead, giving Hunk and Keith a look to leave it for now. "Begin training sequence: level 8." Shiro called out. One small musical song later and half a dozen armed gladiators came up through the holes in the floor. Shiro gave the word and the gladiators moved. The Paladins and Mustang moved quickly.

Keith destroyed one gladiator almost before it made a step and Mustang relieved its remains of its staff and used that to impale the gladiator on his right. He yanked it out and the gladiator dropped. Mustang leaned back just in time to miss a wild shot from Hunk's mini-cannon and the Yellow Paladin immediately apologised before actually shooting the gladiator he was aiming for. Black and Yellow had tackled one to the ground and Red and Keith were destroying another one. That left one standing and Mustang was quick to strike it down with a blow to its head when a purple hand appeared through its chest before pulling back out, letting the robot fall to the ground and revealing Shiro standing there.

"Level cleared." A voice rang out and the remains of the gladiators were removed. "Proceed with next level?" The same voice asked and Shiro looked at Mustang, who nodded. Hunk and Keith both nodded when silently asked the same question.

"Proceed." Shiro called out and the room sung back. More gladiators were sent up and stood ready. "Begin training sequence." He called out and the gladiators moved at the same time everyone else did. This level was cleared as quickly as the last one and Shiro called out for the next one to start.

They went through ten more levels in record time before Mustang was forced to use his alchemy to save Hunk when the gladiators realised his weapon was more of a threat than anything else since he could fire multiple shots at one time. Keith, Shiro and Mustang had been separated from him and only realised the gladiators plan after they enacted on it. With only one snap, Mustang sent a fireball to the horde of seven gladiators that were advancing on Hunk and destroyed all but three. Those remaining were dispatched easily by Hunk's weapon and the ones that had bailed Shiro, Keith and Mustang up were soon destroyed by the combined effort of everyone. Shiro paused the training and waited for everyone who needed to, to catch their breath.

"Take ten. Get some water into you and get a bit of a rest then we'll keep going." Shiro ordered. Keith and Red immediately left to do so. Shiro turned to say something to Mustang but stopped when Hunk and Yellow came over. "Something wrong, Hunk?" Shiro asked the younger boy.

"Oh, no." He told him, waving his hands to stop Shiro's worry. "I, uh, just wanted to thank Mr Mustang for his help on the last level. Oh, and show him where the water pouches were." He said, mumbling a little out of embarrassment. Yellow looked like she wanted to coo at him, which she might have actually done considering his cheeks flamed a few moments after he spoke.

"Thank you, Hunk. I would appreciate that." Mustang smiled and the boy seemed to relax a little. Shiro gave him an encouraging smile and Hunk started walking over to where Keith and Red were sitting. Yellow trotted ahead to go and annoy her sister while Mustang followed her Paladin. Shiro and Black hung back so they could give Hunk a bit of time and to discuss how they thought everyone went.

"So, thanks for, you know, having my back there. That was a really cool attack. Did you control the flame the whole time?" Hunk asked as he handed Mustang two water pouches and grabbed himself and Yellow some pouches as well. Mustang followed him and his Lion as they moved a few steps away from the hidden alcove that held the pouches and sat against the wall.

"Not completely. While I have control over how hot and big the flame is and where I send it, I don't have any control once I've sent it. If the target moves to avoid it, I can't do anything to manipulate that particular attack to follow the target, unlike Fullmetal's metal arm he used today. If he'd chosen to do so, he could have had it follow me around this whole room." Mustang told the intrigued boy. "Now, once an attack hits something, I can manipulate the flame with a cancelling array that will allow me to extinguish the flames. There are a few other arrays I can use to manipulate the fire but nothing I can use to control the flame after I've released the attack." Mustang finished his explanation, stabbing straw into the pouch and taking a sip. He didn't know how but this water tasted different to what he was used too. As in, it didn't taste like any water he'd ever drank but he couldn't liken it to any other kind of drink he'd had.

"Huh. So can you do other types of alchemy? Edward made it sound like fire alchemy was the only type you could do." Hunk asked as he drained his pouch and opened one for Yellow to give her.

"I know the basics of other alchemy but not enough to be proficient in them. Fire alchemy is my specialty and I am the only alchemist in existence that can use it." Mustang told him and Hunk nodded.

"So is it like a magic power? You tried a bunch of different alchemies until you found one you were really good at it and it became your specialty?" Hunk asked, giving Yellow another water pouch and readying one more for himself. Mustang finished his first one before answering.

"I don't actually know how to answer that." Mustang admitted. "Most alchemists discover early on what alchemy they're most proficient in. Fullmetal and his brother are exceptions to the rule. They are alchemic prodigies, though Fullmetal is admittedly better at picking alchemic techniques up quicker than Alphonse. Having said that, Alphonse is slightly better at hand-to-hand than Fullmetal and there a few types of alchemy where he is superior than Fullmetal, even if it takes him a bit longer to learn it." He paused for a moment. "For me, I knew I could use alchemy from when I was a small child. My aunt had a couple of alchemist friends who taught me the basic alchemies; earth, metal, wood, those kinds of things. But none of them stuck. I could do them, not well, but I could do them. They told me I just needed to practice more but I knew I wasn't suited for those types of alchemy. I found my teacher a couple of years later. Before he passed away, he made me promise to never teach anyone fire alchemy. It's too destructive, too volatile for it to be available to just anyone. So I'm the only fire alchemist in our world and there'll never be another one after me. I destroyed the only notes in existence to make sure it couldn't happen." Mustang finished telling him, well aware he didn't completely answer the question but he really didn't know how to answer it so it made sense. Hunk's brow furrowed a little as he thought over the response. Mustang started drinking his second water pouch as he waited.

"So finding your alchemic specialty is like trial and error? Like, trying different types of art mediums before you found one that worked for you best?" He asked and Mustang nodded slowly.

"Yes. I think that would be a mostly accurate way to describe it." Mustang told him and Hunk grinned just as Shiro stood back up with Black.

"Alright, break's over. Let's continue with training." He ordered and everyone cleaned up their used pouches and put them in the bin before joining Shiro where he stood. He waited for everyone to gather before speaking. "We'll keep training for another varga before wrapping up for the day." He told them, getting nods all around. "Commence training sequence from last level." He ordered the room and, as usual, the musical notes trilled to let them know it was complying. The gladiators appeared and readied themselves as they always did. Shiro gave the word only a moment later and they were back to training.

* * *

The varga came to an end quickly. They hadn't reached the level the Paladins cleared earlier that day, only stopping once they'd cleared level 32, which Mustang thought was a rather good accomplishment. Shiro and the others were of the same thought but Mustang did notice something. There were a lot more near misses in the last few levels. Nothing unexpected about that considering the levels were getting harder to beat but Mustang had noticed something he thought should be addressed before they leaved. He waited for Shiro to finish giving them his thoughts before speaking.

"There is something I noticed that I would like to address. Assuming that's alright?" He asked, stopping everyone as they made to move away. Shiro nodded, not used to people older or of a higher rank than him asking permission. "A lot of the near fatal hits seemed to be because all of you are so used to having a sharpshooter watching your backs. I was curious about whether you guys have ever done team training where one or more members of your team don't participate?" He could see from Shiro's face that they hadn't.

"No. We've always trained together or solo. Some people pair off to spar but only against each other." Shiro only confirmed Mustang's suspicions.

"I think it's something you might want to consider doing in the future." Mustang told him. "I imagine Voltron will be something that is always needed to resolve fights and arguments and to do prevent future wars." He saw Hunk's slightly startled expression. Apparently he hadn't thought of that. "You can't assume you will all be fit to fight every time you're needed. Someone could get too badly hurt or get sick and not be able to fight for a while. Or maybe someone will get knocked out during a mission. My point is that right now you are far too used to having five team members fighting together and you've especially become accustomed to having Lance watching your backs." Mustang finished and watched as Shiro gave an irate looking Keith a look to stop him from doing whatever he was about to do.

"That is actually a good idea. I'm not sure why we've never thought of doing that considering what happened on Arus." Shiro said and Mustang was intrigued by the pained looks on the other Paladins faces. "Thank you for pointing that out to us." Shiro said, bowing slightly. Mustang was slightly startled to see that considering it had never happened to him outside of Amestris.

"Paladins and Alchemists. Please be aware there is half a varga left before dinner." Allura's voice sounded over the Castle's comms. Her words had Hunk in a panic.

"I have to go cook before Coran does!" He exclaimed, running out of the training room with Yellow bounding after him. Keith and Shiro didn't act like this was out of the ordinary, though Red and Black did watch him leave with interest.

"What do you want to do while we wait for dinner?" Shiro asked. Keith shared a look with Red.

"We were going to spar." The raven-haired Paladin said, wiggling a thumb between himself and his Lion.

"I had wanted to go see how Fullmetal and his team were going." Mustang told him when Shiro looked at him for his answer. Shiro nodded.

"Alright. Keith, Red, make sure you're not late for dinner. Black and I will go with Mustang to check on Lance, Edward and Pidge. We'll see you at dinner time." Keith nodded his agreement, already turning away from them and heading for the water pouches, Red trailing behind him.

* * *

Mustang, Shiro and Black headed out of the training room and made their way to the secondary training room. It was a quiet walk and they reached the training room in no time. Before they opened the door they heard some shouts and exchanged looks before Shiro pressed his palm to the panel. It lit up electric blue and permitted them entrance. Black was the first through, barely waiting for the door to slide open enough to let her in. When Mustang and Shiro made their way in, they were greeted with quite an unexpected scene.

The Green Lion was in mechanical form, laying on her belly and reminding Shiro a little of the Egyptian Sphinx with how she was posed. The Blue Lion was still in her flesh form and was sitting on Green's right, avidly watching three small forms climbing up Green like monkeys. Mustang spotted Ed right away, the shock of golden hair a dead giveaway. He was in between Pidge and Lance and it looked like they were competing to see who could climb the Lion the fastest. At the moment, Lance was winning with ease, though Ed and Pidge were closing the gap quickly.

Black trotted over to her sister and joined her in watching the humans. Shiro and Mustang moved out of the doorway and went to stand behind the two Lions. Lance nearly slipped, causing Shiro to take a step forward before stopping himself when Lance caught himself and kept climbing. It didn't take them long to reach the top of Green and Lance let out a whoop of victory when he noticed he was first up. He offer Pidge and Ed a hand each to pull them up the rest of the way up and they stood on top of Green, grinning like loons while catching their breath.

"Good job." Shiro called out, startling Lance and Pidge. Ed didn't appear surprised to see them, simply straightening up and wiping his brow. "Why don't you guys come on down now?" Shiro suggested and they shrugged, spoke for a moment, before heading to the top of Green's head, which she had lowered so the top of her skull was more or less in line with her spine to make the trip a bit easier.

They slipped down the slant of her brow and nose and ended up on her muzzle. Pidge said something and Green lowered her head down completely, laying it next to her paw so the three could slip onto it. From there, they leapt down to the ground, Ed rolling to disperse his momentum. Once all three were off of her, Green glowed before transforming back into her flesh form and joining the three humans as they headed over to everyone else. Mustang was sure he wasn't the only one out of them to notice the minor injuries these three had managed to accumulate.

"So, what's up?" Ed asked as he stopped in front of them, one brow raised in question as he felt Lance and Pidge stop behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

Ed barely had time to shoot Mustang a reassuring smile before he, Lance, Pidge and their Lions lost sight of them by turning the corner. Lance was in the lead, being the only one who'd visited or was confident they could find the secondary training room, with Pidge walking next to him, interrogating him if their body language was anything to go by. Green and Blue were happy to leave their pilots to it and walk next to Ed. Pidge must've gotten the answers she wanted because she and Lance were now mucking around a bit; Lance ruffling Pidge's hair and Pidge was trying to push him off her.

When they got to the secondary training room, Pidge and Green immediately set out to explore it. Since Blue, Lance and Ed had already seen it, they let them be. Pidge immediately found the control room, which wasn't a deck like the primary training room but a side room and went through the system this room had. Green found the weapons stash, food and water alcove and locker room, all of which was the same as the primary training rooms. Lance and Blue hung back with Ed and they chattered about random things while waiting for Pidge and Green to get their inquisitive natures satisfied.

"It looks like the system is set up very similar to the main training rooms. You've messed with it a little bit though, haven't you?" Pidge asked once she was standing with them.

"Yeah, I needed more of a gun range than what the other room has so I fiddled with the system until I got something I could use." Lance admitted, and Pidge looked impressed, something that caused Lance to flush.

"Well, you did a really good job. I did fix a couple of bugs that had appeared but I'm sure those were from the fact that the Castle-ship sat for thousands of years with no one running system checks on it. I'm still finding bugs in other systems." Pidge told him, sounding and looking annoyed at the fact there were still glitches in the systems. She shook herself slightly and faced Ed. "So, what's the plan?" She asked, and Ed frowned as he tried to come up with a training plan.

"Okay. What I want to do first up is get a feel for your hand-to-hand skillset, so you guys are going to spar with me, one at a time. Then I want you guys to pair up against me. We'll see what happens after that." Ed said decisively. "It'll strictly be hand-to-hand so no bayards or Lions for you and I won't be using my alchemy." He told them and heard the Lions whine about not being allowed to fight.

"Are you sure?" Lance asked, not comfortable with the idea of them teaming up on him. Ed smirked.

"If you guys manage to take me down, I'd be extremely impressed." Ed told them, a touch cockily. Pidge and Lance looked at each other then back at Edward who could see his words had the effect he wanted. They'd accepted his challenge. "Who wants to go first?" Ed asked, and Pidge immediately put her hand up.

They moved further into the room and took up fighting stances before Ed remembered something and held his hand up to stop her from proceeding. He could feel the Lions questioning looks from where he was standing. "I don't have to ask the room to do anything if it's just us sparring, right?" He asked the young girl.

"No. You only need to ask it if you plan on using the gladiators or its other systems." She told him and he nodded before getting back into his fighting stance. She followed suit and they waited for a few seconds before Ed nodded and Pidge made the first move.

Ed could tell immediately that Pidge was one to think through her moves up until a certain point when she let her frustration at not having won yet get the best of her and caused her fighting to become sloppier. She wasn't afraid to use her size to her advantage and constantly aimed to take his legs out from under him. She almost succeeded the first time but Ed turned it into a flip and was back on his feet, aiming a fist at her gut, which she dodged beautifully.

They reached the point in the fight where Pidge's frustration overtook her logical thinking and Ed was quick to get through her almost-frantic moves before knocking her down and placing the tips of his automail fingers to her throat, like he would his blade tip. Her eyes widened, and he held her there for a few seconds before helping her up.

"Your turn, Lance." Ed called, deciding to keep his thoughts on the fight until he'd taken on both Paladins. Pidge went and grabbed two water pouches before sitting where Lance had been standing to watch them while Lance made his way over to Ed. "You ready?" Ed asked and Lance gave him a nod.

"I'm not fantastic at hand-to-hand. Shiro and Keith have been helping me though." Lance told him as he shifted his stance into one Shiro had showed him. Ed nodded.

"Well, come at me with everything you've got. The whole reason we're doing this is so I get the best idea of what the two of you are like so I know what I need to do to cover any weaknesses if we're ever in a situation where I need to." Ed told him, falling back into his own fighting stance. "Whenever you're ready." He nodded and Lance took a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

Lance didn't move for half a second but when he did, Ed wasn't expecting him to be so quick. He was immediately put on the defensive and Lance's moves were confident and sure. Ed blocked his moves as best he could, considering his fighting style wasn't something he'd ever come across. Shiro and Keith must know different fighting styles than what's in Amestris. Ed kept up his defensive stance until he spotted an opportunity when Lance used a move that went wide and Ed grabbed his arm to swing him further off balance before going on the offensive.

Ed was quick to figure out Lance's main problem with hand-to-hand. He had no confidence and was constantly second guessing himself when he was on the defensive. He paid too much attention to trying to figure out Ed's next move and not enough to trying to exploit any openings Ed gave him and Ed gave him plenty of opportunities to so. After Lance missed the fourth opening Ed left, Ed decided to end the fight so he could move them on to the two-on-one fight. When Lance threw a wild punch, Lance grabbed him by the arm, flipped him over his shoulder and twisted as Lance thudded to the ground so he ended with his knee on the Blue Paladin's chest and his automail hand poised at his throat. He held the position for a few seconds, so Lance realised he'd lost, before helping the Blue Paladin to his feet.

"Go get some water then you and Pidge can join me over here once more." Ed told him and Lance nodded, frowning to himself but doing as Ed said. Ed watched as Pidge offered Lance the second pouch she had grabbed earlier and he took it with a smile and ruffled his friend's hair in thanks. She shoved his hand off her, like she was annoyed, but Ed could see her happy smile. Blue and Green were still sitting in the same spot they'd been since Pidge had walked over for her spar with Ed, watching their pilots happily.

It didn't take Lance long to finish his water pouch and soon he and Pidge were throwing their rubbish away. As they headed to where Ed was still standing, both gave their Lion a scratch in between their ears which Ed knew they loved because he could feel them purring in his head. In no time, Pidge and Lance were in their fighting stances while facing Ed.

"The goal for this is for me to see how the two of you fight together when you don't have the rest of your team backing you up. If I know how the two of you cover each other, I know how to cover any of your weaknesses. Over the next few training sessions, I'm hoping you will figure out my weaknesses and cover them." He saw Lance and Pidge look at each other with confusion and snorted. "Yes, I have weaknesses in my fighting style. The reason my brother and I are damn near unbeatable is because we know each other's strengths and weaknesses better than we know our own. While we won't be quite as good as that considering our limited time, I'm hoping we will still be a force to be reckoned with." Ed told them, falling into his fighting stance once more. He gave them a nod and, after sharing a look, they both moved.

Pidge went low while Lance went high and Ed grinned as he danced out of their reach. They didn't let the failed attack discourage them but kept pushing him. They got a couple of blows in, reopening his split lip, but he paid them back. Pidge had a small cut just above her left eyebrow and Lance was sporting a slightly bloodied nose. Ed was constantly switching between defensive and offensive styles thanks to how well they worked together and Ed was delighted to find that Pidge wasn't getting frustrated as easily and Lance hadn't lost his confidence, despite the fact that this fight was lasting longer than the previous ones.

Pidge and Lance were still going strong, despite the bruises they were accumulating and repaying in kind when Ed managed to, completely by chance, gain the upper hand and win the fight. When Pidge attacked next, Ed grabbed her and turned her into a hostage, left hand gripping her upper arm and forcing her back against his chest while his automail was, once again, poised against her throat. Lance immediately stopped and held his hands up in surrender. After a few seconds, Ed released her and the session was ended.

"Okay. Let's get some water and sit down so I can talk with you guys about what I thought." Ed said, huffing a little as he caught his breath.

They grabbed some water pouches and Ed created two dishes from the floor so they could give Blue and Green some water when they expressed they were thirsty. Ed gave the two of them cursory look overs as they drank and found no other injuries than the superficial ones he could see. Once they'd all drained their water pouches and the Lions had drunk their fill, Ed sat up straighter so he could talk to the Paladins.

"Okay, so we'll start with you, Pidge." He said and Pidge nodded, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose as she leant forward, interested in what he had to say. "You're a quick fighter. You're not afraid to use your size to your advantage and aim for the legs or lower half of your opponent, which most people don't expect in a fight. You're smart and you use that to your advantage as well however you started losing the moment you let your frustration get the better of you. As soon as you felt like you should have won against me and hadn't yet, you grew frustrated and that turned your fighting sloppy and almost desperate. You have got to keep a cool head while fighting someone. I won't say to not let your emotions get the best of you because that would be very hypocritical of me and emotions can be useful in a fight but you can't let those emotions dictate how you fight." He told her and Pidge looked annoyed at herself but nodded.

"Don't worry, Gremlin. I know you'll be kicking all of our arses in no time now that you know." Lance assured her, squeezing her shoulder. She shoved him and he fell sideways with a bark of laughter into Blue's side before sitting up straight to see what Ed had to say about him.

"Lance, you are a very capable fighter. I was nearly hard-pressed trying to get the upper hand in our spar. Granted, some of that was because you fight in a way that I have no training against but the way you blocked me tells me it was the same for you. Am I right?" He asked.

"Yeah, no one on the team fights like you and I haven't fought an alien species who fight like you either." Lance told him and Ed nodded.

"Well, it showed." Ed told him and saw Lance's face crumple minutely. "The fact that you held yourself against me for as long and as well as you did is definite proof that you are far better than you think." Ed told him, voice 100% honest. "That's actually part of the problem I noticed though. Once the tables were turned and I got the upper hand, you lost all confidence in your skillset. You focused so much on trying to figure out what I was going to do that you never focused on yourself and making sure you didn't leave any openings I could use. You also missed several openings I purposefully left for you to exploit. Using any one of those would have won you the match but you missed them." He took a breath before wrapping up his observations. "You have to have more confidence in yourself. Trust yourself even when you think you've lost because, like I said, you've got the skillset and you're very good at using it. Focus is good but hyper-focus, especially on the wrong thing, is not." He told him and Lance looked stunned.

"I think that's the first time someone's told me to stop focusing on something so much." He chuckled, a little humourlessly. Pidge nudged him and gave his arm a small squeeze. "I'll do my best." He told Ed and Ed could tell he meant it.

"Good. Because if you become as good at hand-to-hand as I think you will, you'd be near unstoppable." Ed told him. He never gave him a chance to say anything before moving on. "Having said that, you two were nearly a dream team during the last sparring session. You balanced each other out well enough. Pidge, you never let your frustration get the best of you and you two were so good at keeping me from gaining the upper hand for too long that it never affected your confidence, Lance. The only reason I won that spar was because of luck." That seemed to surprise Pidge and Lance.

"Seriously?" Lance asked and Ed nodded.

"Yup. I got the win because of luck. Sometimes that's all it comes down to in a fight." Ed told them before clapping his hands together. "So, I know what you two are like by yourselves and what you're like when you're teamed up against someone and you guys know what I fight like so let's move on. We'll use the gladiators for now but we'll alternate between using your bayards and my alchemy, no bayards or alchemy, Lance as a sniper while Pidge and I fight with and without her bayard or my alchemy, Lions and no Lions and solo or paired fighting while the others sit out. How does that sound?" He asked, genuinely wanting to know their thoughts. If they didn't think it was a good idea, they'd likely not get anywhere.

"Sounds like we better get started." Lance said as he stood up, dragging Pidge with him. Ed blinked at the enthusiasm and the sudden appearance of two distinctly different hands in front of him. Grabbing both, he felt himself being hauled to his feet by both his team mates, who each had big grins on their faces.

"What do you want to start with?" Pidge asked as they headed to the middle of the room again. The Lions followed hopefully.

"Well, since we're all here, why don't the five of us do a few levels together? No weapons or alchemy for this one." Ed said, side-eyeing the Lions with a smirk. The happiness that radiated off them could have been felt by anyone even if they weren't bonded with them. "If one of you can get the thing to do the thing like Shiro did, that'd be nice." Ed asked, making Pidge and Lance laugh before Lance got himself together.

"Training sequence: level 12" Lance called out and a musical tone sang out, slightly different to the one in the other training room. The gladiators, near a dozen, were brought up and their eyes lit up to indicate they were online and ready. "Begin training sequence: level 12." Lance called out and the gladiators moved towards them. Ed grinned as they rushed forward and the fight started in earnest. Blue and Green weren't afraid to use each other as springboards to take on gladiators and no one else held back.

Despite having no alchemy or weapons, they demolished the level quickly and Ed nodded for them to keep going when the voice asked. Pidge gave the go-ahead and more gladiators replaced the remains of the last lot. They took on another two levels before Edward decided to switch it up.

"Use your bayards. I'll use my blade." Ed said, swiping his hand across his automail arm and creating his blade. Lance and Pidge summoned their bayards and Lance called for the level to start. They destroyed the level in record time and soon had another four levels done before Ed called for a break after seeing Pidge and Lance slowing down a little.

After ten minutes of rest, they were back at it. They moved through a dozen different levels with various changes before long and by the time Allura came over the speakers with the warning of dinner fast approaching, they'd made it through nearly 27 levels in total. The warning said they had half a varga, something Ed frowned out and looked at the Paladins in hopes they'd clear it up.

"About half an hour." Pidge told him and Ed made an 'ah' of understanding.

"Okay, let's stop with the gladiators for now." Ed said and Lance called out for the system to stop. "I have an idea, as long as Green is agreeable." Ed told them and Green cocked her head questioningly. He spoke with her and she said she was more than happy with the idea and trotted away from the group. Pidge watched her with some confusion and they covered their eyes quickly as she glowed and transformed.

"Why is my Lion in mechanical form?" Pidge asked as they opened their eyes to find that Green was indeed back in her robot form.

"We're gonna climb her." Ed told them. "It's a race to the top." He grinned and matching grins spread across their faces. Blue flicked her tail in annoyance at being left out. "Well, do you think you can climb her in that form?" Ed asked and Blue sulked because, no, she couldn't.

"Sorry, Blue. But if one of us falls, you can laugh at them." Lance told her, trying to cheer her up and it kind of worked, if the slight chuckle was anything to go by.

"What do we win if we get to the top first?" Pidge asked and Ed thought for a moment.

"Bragging rights." Ed said and Pidge and Lance exchanged a look and nodded once. They headed for Green and chose where they were going to start their climb. Looking to make sure they were ready, Ed looked up to his goal. "Go!" He shouted and they didn't waste a second as they started their climb.

* * *

 

Lance and Pidge were on either side of him and they were all pretty much neck and neck before Lance's long arms started giving him the advantage and he soon had the lead. Ed felt Black warn him of their approach and he acknowledged it before getting back to the matter at hand. Risking a glance at each of them when he heard the door swish open, neither Paladin noticed so Ed never said anything. Lance finally pulled himself up onto Green's back and let out a whoop of victory before grinning down at his two team mates. He held a hand out for each of them, which they accepted and he pulled them up so they were with him, grinning like idiots and trying to catch their breath.

"Good job." A voice called from below, causing Lance and Pidge to jump and look down to find Shiro, Mustang and Black standing near Blue. Ed wiped his brow as Shiro called up for them to climb down now.

"Before we go," Ed said, stopping the two Paladins, "you guys need to remember to be aware of your surroundings. You should have heard the door open to let them in." He said and Lance grinned sheepishly while Pidge shuffled where she stood, a little.

"I did hear it. I just didn't think anything of it." Pidge admitted, grinning a little shamefully. Ed rolled his eyes but grinned back at both of them as Green lowered her head so they could get on her nose easier. From there, she lowered her head so they could jump onto her paw then the ground. Ed came out of a neat roll after he jumped from her paw while Pidge and Lance simply leapt. Green glowed and transformed as soon as the last of them were off her and the four of them made their way over to the group.

"So what's up?" Ed asked, raising a brow. Lance and Pidge stopped behind him, looking just as interested in the reason for their presence as Ed, while Green just joined her sisters.

"We came to see how you guys were going." Shiro told them, eyes flicking between their eyes and their small wounds.

"Really?" Ed asked and Mustang butted in to answer before Shiro could.

"Well you do have an uncanny ability to cause massive damage whenever you're left to your own devices for too long." Mustang drawled, standing at parade rest. Ed glared at him.

"Only when it's the military who has to pay for repairs." Ed snipped, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"We're doing good." Lance interjected before the daggers in each of their glares became real. "Ed's been switching up the training every few levels so that we don't get completely dependent on everyone being there to fight." Shiro looked impressed.

"So what happened to you guys?" He asked, pointing at Lance's nose and Pidge's forehead where she had a small cut.

"Oh, we fought Ed two on one. He got in a couple of good hits." Pidge told him as she touched her cut to check if it was still bleeding. Her hand came away clean but she knew Lance would still drag her down to the med bay to clean it out. She was already devising escape plans while everyone talked around her.

"They held their own against me well." Ed told Shiro, who looked rather proud of them. "If you ever need to send a pair out on a mission, these two would do well together." Lance's cocky 'you know it' grin was slightly ruined by the flush crawling up his neck at the praise.

"What did you mean when you said Ed switched up the training?" Shiro asked, his curiosity about that getting the better of him.

"Oh, he just changed certain things every few levels so we had to adapt." Pidge told him. "So we started the session with the five of us fighting together but with no weapons. A few levels later, we added weapons. After that, Ed and the Lions left then Green re-joined us. So Ed essentially had every possible combination of our team fight a few levels together." She said and Shiro glanced at Ed.

"It's possible the witch might get the drop on one or two of us so we needed to learn how to fight together if that happened." Ed shrugged a shoulder. For a reason the three of them couldn't figure, Mustang looked victorious while Shiro looked like he'd just had something proven to him.

"So, climbing Green?" Shiro asked and Ed ruffled said Lions ears.

"Warm down. We heard the announcement that dinner was soon and I figured it was a fun way to finish up this session. Thankfully, Green was agreeable." Ed told them. For the first time since they'd climbed down from Green, Ed gave them a once over. "What did you guys do? Neither of you look injured or like you were in much of a fight." Ed cocked his head slightly as he waited for a response.

"Well, we went through the gladiator levels, like you, but we focused more on working together as a complete team than anything else." Shiro said. "I did have it pointed out that we should consider training without one or two members of the team as well." He admitted and Ed gave Mustang an approving look.

"Paladins, alchemists, Hunk would like me to tell you that dinner is ten dobashes away. Please cease all training and make your way to the dining area." Allura requested over the Castle's system. Shiro sighed before heading for the door with Black.

"I'm gonna go wrangle Keith and Red. You guys head to the dining room." He said, waiting for Lance and Pidge's nods before disappearing through the doorway.

The rest of them did as they were told and made their way to the dining room. Both Blue and Green decided they were in the lead while Ed walked with Lance and Pidge and Mustang brought up the rear.

* * *

Mustang was mostly quiet during the walk, happy to watch Ed interact with the teenagers he was walking with. In the years Mustang had known his youngest subordinate, he'd never witnessed him around people his own age, Alphonse and Winry being the exception. Being around adults for his military career meant he was always trying to prove he wasn't a kid. He, as far as Mustang knew, never let himself act his age, especially not after the Nina Tucker tragedy. The only times he ever let himself act somewhat child-like were whenever Winry or Alphonse decided to tease him good-naturedly.

Here, however, it seemed Ed was far more lax about keeping his adult act up in front of everyone, even Mustang. Mustang had heard from Shiro about how Ed had acted when he first turned up and how his 'I'm not here to make friends' attitude had slowly turned around after Keith and Ed had spoken when Ed worked on the Lions and had practically done a 180 after Lance had patched up his hand after the incident with Yellow. But watching the younger alchemist now, it was almost like watching what his life could have been if he were just a normal teenager. Mustang felt a hot ball of guilt roil in his gut as he realised he had a major hand in preventing that.

Almost like he could sense Mustang's thoughts, Ed looked back at him, eyes concerned and questioning, but Mustang only shook his head and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Ed didn't look overly convinced though, if the small frown he responded with was anything to go by, but he let himself get distracted by something Lance was telling him, Pidge fighting to get his attention at the same time. By the time they'd made it to the dining room, Mustang had managed to bury those thoughts in the same place he buried every other unpleasant thought he'd ever had.

"Oh good. You guys are just in time." Hunk called from the kitchen as they passed by. The four of them doubled back and headed into the kitchen to see whether Hunk needed any help. "Lance and Pidge, can you grab plates and stuff? Go set the table?" He nodded to where he had placed the cutlery they needed and Lance and Pidge did as they were asked with minimal muttering and a lot of friendly shoving and hip-checking. Hunk rolled his eyes at them before turning to the two remaining people in the kitchen. "Can you guys grab a dish or two each please? Just follow those two idiots to the dining room." Ed snorted as he grabbed two dishes containing the weirdest looking food he'd ever seen. Mustang grabbed a large bowl containing what he believed was salad but he'd never eaten a salad that looked as colourful as this one.

"WE HEARD THAT!" Came Lance's shout from the other room and Hunk gave a 'what can you do' shrug when Ed looked at him.

"Are you alright with the rest of it?" Ed asked, eyeing up the last of the dishes and Hunk nodded.

"Yup. Yellow had decided she's helping me with the rest of it." The Yellow Lion purred affirmatively and Hunk scratched her behind the ear affectionately. "I'll be there in a minute with the last of it." Hunk promised and Ed nodded. He and Mustang left the room to find Green and Blue in the hallway, watching through the open dining room door, amusement clearly etched on their faces.

"What's going on?" Ed asked as he approached them.

" _They're having a race to see who can set the table quicker. Lance is winning but Pidge keeps messing up what he's done so he must go back and he's repaying her the favour. Now it's a full out war."_ Blue told him, amusement etched into her voice while Green laughed at her dramatics.

"While I am all for friendly competition, I'm hungry and I can't eat if there's a war in the dining room. Do you want to separate them or me?" Ed asked, shifting his grip on the dishes as he waited for the Lions to make their decisions.

" _No. I think we've got this."_  Green told him, mischief in her voice that made Ed decide he needed to see what they meant as both Lions raced into the dining room.

Lance and Pidge let out very un-Paladin like shrieks when they saw Blue and Green streak towards them. Ed had to admit that if he saw larger-than-normal lions of any colour running at him, he probably would let out some kind of undignified noise as well. Ed watched as Blue and Green tackled their pilot to the ground and rested their front legs and head on them to keep them pinned.

" _Alright. We've got them. It's safe to bring the food in now."_  Blue told him and Ed gestured for Mustang to head into the room just as Hunk and Yellow emerged from the kitchen, each carrying a dish of food.

"Is everything okay? I thought I heard someone scream." Hunk asked as he approached and, judging from her amusement, Ed could tell Yellow already knew but hadn't told her human.

"Oh yeah. Everything is all good." Ed said as he walked through the door to place his burden onto the table. Hunk still looked worried but that promptly changed when he rounded the corner and saw both of his friends still pinned to the ground by their Lions. He started laughing so hard that he barely managed to get the food he was carrying on the table before he dropped it. He calmed down only to start all over again when he caught sight of Lance's betrayed expression at the lack of help coming from his best friend.

" _What happened here?"_  Black's amused voice sounded in Ed's head and he turned to see Black, Shiro, Red and Keith standing there in the doorway and watching the scene in front of them with entertained expressions. Blue and Green made no move to hop up, despite their Paladins attempts to push them off.

"Ask Blue or Green. We were only here for the takedown, not what led up to it." Ed told her while Keith and Shiro headed over to the table. Shiro was shaking head while Keith was smirking at Lance and both sat at the table rather than help, having worked out it was probably the two Paladins own fault for being in this situation to start with. Black must've have done as Ed suggested because she started chuckling as she walked past Ed to rub up against him before settling next to Shiro. Red stared Ed down until the blonde realised it was the hot-tempered Lion's way of asking him to sit next to his pilot. Ed raised his brow slightly but did as he was told. Allura and Coran walked in just as Blue and Green both released their Paladins. Neither commented on the scene; they just took their seats and waited for Lance and Pidge to pick themselves up off the ground and situate themselves at the table.

"Thank you for dinner, Hunk. This looks delicious." Allura said, dipping her head in Hunks direction.

"It was no problem, Allura. I'm not sure what it actually is but it kind of tastes like spaghetti carbonara and fish." He pointed to the two dishes Ed had brought in. "The other dishes are sides. There's something like a typical garden salad, that jelly stuff kinda tastes like roast potato and that one over there is some sort of buttery, asparagus tasting thing." Hunk explained, pointing to each of the dishes he was describing. Ed and Mustang's faces would've made everyone, except the Alteans, laugh if they had have seen them before they managed to school their faces into more neutral expressions.

"I noticed that both of the training rooms were in use. May I ask why?" Allura asked once everyone had piled their plates up with the food they wanted. The Lions had decided to try a bit of everything and were paying no attention to anything that was going on around them.

"We realised we couldn't train together as one unit because Zarkon and Haggar wouldn't wait for us to finish with one of them before moving onto the other. We needed two teams to strike both simultaneously in order to better our chances of winning this war." Shiro explained. Everyone else busied themselves with their dinners, happy to leave the talking up to the boss. "Since Edward was sent here to fight Haggar, we agreed he was to lead the team who are facing Haggar. He asked to have Lance and Pidge on his team so we separated into the chosen teams and trained so we could get used to being in those teams." Shiro finished speaking and took the chance Allura's silence gave him to eat.

"That is very clever. May I ask why you chose Lance and Pidge for your team, Edward?" Allura looked at the blonde, who in turn looked slightly offended on behalf of his team. Allura noticed. "Please don't get me wrong. They are excellent Paladins and would benefit any team they were on. I am merely curious about why you chose them over the others." She soothed any ruffled feathers Ed might have had.

"They were the best choices. Lance because of his sniper skills. Not to mention he's rather good in hand-to-hand if he's forced to fight that way. I asked Pidge because she's small. She can use that to her advantage and there is a chance Haggar will underestimate her because of her size."

"You're used to that, aren't you, Fullmetal?" Mustang couldn't help himself, smirking his usual smirk. Ed nearly fell for the bait but a loud snarl coming from at least two Lions had Mustang jump nearly a foot in his chair  _and_  caused Ed to cackle at him.

"That's what you get for interrupting, bastard." Ed laughed as Mustang scowled at the Lions he could see. Ed turned back Allura, who was looking only slightly stunned at the Lions behaviour. "The other reason I asked Pidge is because of her weapon. She can use it to electrocute people with whatever voltage she chooses. I figured if Lance or I fell under Haggar's control or spell, she could shock us out of it or, at the very least, shock Haggar so much the spell breaks." Ed told her, finishing up the last of the food on his plate once he'd done so.

"That is very clever thinking. Yes, the electrical current should be enough to disrupt her magic." Allura looked at Coran for his thoughts and the royal adviser fiddled with the end of his orange mustache as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yes. I do believe you have chosen the most effective Paladins to have on your team to help you face that witch. I don't know much about alchemy - only what I've observed when King Alfor or Honerva performed it - but I have noticed that Number 5's bayard has been most effective against other alien species who specialise in what you might classify as 'magic'." Coran told him, nodding enthusiastically as he spoke. "I believe you were most clever in creating a team, young Edward!" He boomed, grinning broadly.

"Uh, thanks." Ed managed to get out without sounding completely taken aback by the enthusiasm coming from the orange-haired alien. Coran beamed at him in response and Allura decided to move the conversation along.

"Well, I would be most pleased if you would tell me how your training went and what your plans are for the time we have left." Allura inquired and Shiro and Ed exchanged looks.

"You first." Ed said, pointing his fork at him before helping himself to more food. Mustang looked him with amusement, completely used to this kind of behaviour. Lance, Pidge, Keith and Hunk all dug into their food, grinning around mouthfuls, so Shiro was left to discuss his teams plans with Allura.

Allura listened politely to Shiro's plans for his team, not saying a word until he finished speaking before voicing her opinions and concerns. Soon they delved into a proper talk, devising an actual plan for them to follow and working through any kinks that came up. Mustang was impressed with how well and efficiently they worked together and glanced over at Ed with a pointed look that the blonde simply rolled his eyes at before focusing back on his food. Mustang was soon drawn into the conversation when Allura asked for his opinion and eventually Keith and Hunk were asked for their thoughts before the conversation finally wrapped up with everyone happy with the training plans.

"What about your team, Edward?" Allura asked finally, drawing Ed's attention from the conversation he'd been drawn into with his team members. Blue, Yellow and Green had been enthusiastically ignoring them in favour for trying to distract Black and Red from the conversation between their Paladins and the princess but they did look up when they heard Ed's name.

"Uh, kinda figured we'd go in the same direction we'd been going today. Maybe join up with the others for a training session or two in case the seven of us, plus the lions, have to fight together. Other than that, didn't really have a plan." Ed shrugged, seemingly unconcerned while Allura looked rather concerned.

"Fullmetal is much more of a 'go with the flow' kind of person. He doesn't do well with people trying to tell him what to do and if you try and make him follow a plan, he will ignore you and do things his way anyway so there really is no point in coming up with a training plan for his team." Mustang intervened before Allura could voice her well-meaning concerns with Ed's lack of a plan.

"He's speaking from experience." Ed told her, completely unoffended by Mustang's words. "I think it took nearly eight months of me completely ignoring any plans he wanted me to follow and getting the job done better." He said.

"I can vaguely recall a mission where a church burned down unnecessarily because you ignored my plan and got yourself thrown through the church window, scaring the parishioners in there so much they fled before your target followed you in. You then fought each other which resulted in the candles being knocked over and setting the church on fire. Had you not managed to knock the criminal out and Alphonse not managed to get inside, you both would've been killed." Mustang reminded him and Ed looked completely unashamed.

"If I'd followed your plan, he and I would have been slugging it out in the middle of town with hundreds of people nearby. By getting myself thrown into the church, I was able to scare anyone inside away so they weren't in immediate danger  _and_  I had the freedom needed to be able to kick his arse without risking innocent civilians. Setting the church on fire had the added benefit that only Al would risk coming back inside." Ed said in the same tone Mustang had just used. Lance did well at playing off his amused snort as a sneeze. Mustang couldn't come up with anything to say in his own defence and Ed snorted at his silence.

"I see." Allura said slowly before nodded sharply to herself. "Well, I trust you will be able to take full advantage of these training sessions and that you won't hesitate to ask myself or Shiro for any help, should you require it." She had learned the hard way from Shiro and the others that, sometimes, leaving people to work in their own way will produce more positive results than the way you think they do it.

"Of course, Miss Allura." Ed agreed easily.

"Oh, so you'll agree to ask help from her but not your boss?" Mustang asked disbelievingly.

"Well, you see, the difference here is that I actually have no problems with her orders or requests." Ed told him. "Also, annoying you is just so much fun." He told him, grinning widely. This time, Lance couldn't stop his laughter.

"Oh man, I really wanna introduce you to Iverson." Lance said, voice breathy as he tried to control his laughter. His comment made Pidge and Hunk burst into laughter while Keith fought to keep anything more than an amused smile off his face. Shiro looked more amused with their amusement than the comment.

"I think Iverson might have an aneurysm if he was ever in the same room as Ed." Pidge cackled gleefully enough that Mustang was concerned about this Iverson. Ed was looking torn between bemusement and smugness at what they were saying.

"Why exactly do you want Commander Iverson to have an aneurysm because of Edward?" Shiro asked and Lance, Pidge and Hunk all looked at him like they'd just had the same realisation.

" _Gracias a Dios_." Lance swore softly, his eyes opened slightly wider than normal. Ed perked up at the unknown language that sounded kinda like Cretan. "We've never actually told you stories from when we were in the Garrison, did we?" Lance asked, looking at Hunk and Pidge for answers but both shook their heads.

"What's the Garrison?" Ed asked, leaning forward interestedly. His question caused Lance to look even more aghast.

"We have deprived you people long enough of stories from our time in the Garrison." Lance informed them, hand over his heart, and Hunk rolled his eyes fondly, an action that Lance saw. "Leave me to my dramatics, Hunk." Lance pointed a finger at the bigger boy, causing him to raise his hands in surrender. Ed noticed that Keith also rolled his eyes fondly at the caramel-skinned boy but no one brought that up. Red nudged Keith's leg and the teasing words Ed could sense caused Keith to scowl at his Lion. Lance turned back to the group and leaned back in his chair comfortably, one arm resting on the back of the chair as he faced everyone as best as he could. "To answer your question, Ed, the Garrison is a school that Hunk, Pidge and I attended together. Keith was there as well but he was kicked out a few months before we found Blue and Shiro graduated from the Garrison as one of their top pilots. He disappeared about a year before Keith was kicked out and his reappearance was what ended up drawing us all together and leading us to Blue."

"What kind of school teaches people to be pilots of giant mechanical Lions?" Ed asked and Lance shook his head.

"No, there are no ships in existence on Earth that come even slightly close to the Lions." Lance told him. "The Galaxy Garrison is a military organisation that has a school people on Earth can apply to attend. It specialises in training it's most promising cadets to become astroexplorers, or space explorers. Hunk, Pidge and I were a team in the cargo program before being moved up to fighter program when Keith dropped out." Lance told him and something clicked for both Ed and Mustang.

"Hence the nickname you three went by in your race against Shiro and Keith?" Mustang asked and Lance nodded, happy they'd made the connection so quickly.

"So, who is Iverson?" Ed asked curiously. Pidge took the chance to answer.

"So, Iverson was our commanding officer. Kinda like Mustang is to you except think 'teacher'." Ed looked horrified at the thought of Mustang trying to teach anyone. Mustang looked offended at his horror. "He was also kind of a dick." Pidge told them and Ed could see more of a connection.

"Language!" Shiro reprimanded and everyone could see Pidge choose to ignore him.

"She isn't wrong." Keith grumbled from where he was sitting next to Ed and Shiro gave him a look that told him that was besides the point.

"She really isn't." Hunk said, causing Shiro to give him the same look.

"Calling him a 'dick' is us being nice." Lance pointed out and Shiro looked like he wanted to throw his hands in the air, in defeat. Mustang had a niggling feeling that he really shouldn't leave Edward alone with the three youngest Paladins. "But back to the stories we're supposed to regaling you with!" Lance exclaimed, clapping his hands together gleefully. "I guess we should probably start with our first day at the Garrison. So, Hunk and I have been best friends since we were about ten and we applied for and were accepted by the Garrison at the same time. So, we walked through the front doors, bags in our hands, eyes filled with innocence and wonder- "

"Oh my god." Hunk laughed under his breath as he listened to his best friend. His story telling certainly had the effect he knew Lance was aiming for. Everyone, even Keith, looked relaxed and amused; the final fight against the Galra and Haggar no longer weighing on everyone as they listened to Lance recall their first day at the Garrison with a lot of dramatic flair. As he moved on from the first time they walked into their room to the first time he'd noticed Keith (he'd been scowling so much that he'd practically had a cartoony storm cloud following him, according to Lance), Hunk was pleased to that even Allura's shoulders lowered a little as her tension bled away slowly the more Lance spoke -Hunk pitching in with a comment or embarrassing detail that had Lance flush every now and then - and that Coran's eyes no longer held so much worry and anxiety in them. He was happy to lean back, one arm around Yellow's neck, and listen to his best friend wash everyone's worry and fear slowly away.


	11. Chapter 11

The next two days passed in the same manner as the afternoon after they'd wormholed to the new galaxy. The Castle-ship was on a steady path towards the cluster of planets the Galra were currently trying to take over. Coran and Allura were in constant communication with five of those planets, trying to get as much information out of the natives as they could. There was a heart-stopping few minutes where a lone Galra fighter was thought to have spotted them, despite their shielding that Pidge assured them was still working perfectly. No one breathed until it moved on and Allura checked the Castle-ship's systems to tell them it hadn't registered them being discovered.

Ed and Mustang were finally introduced to the five remaining occupants of the Castle-ship; Kaltanecker and the four space mice: Platt, Chulatt, Plachu and Chuchule. That proved to be a couple of very entertaining meetings considering Ed's intrigue with the mice was the complete opposite of what Mustang felt about them. When it came to Kaltanecker, Ed was more intrigued with how she got onto the ship while Mustang simply wanted to know why. Lance was very enthusiastic and detailed with his retelling of that story.

They trained for three hours after breakfast before having an hour break to get a snack and some rest. Lance offered to hold up his end of the deal they'd made to get Ed to help them and help teach him Altean and Galran. Ed took up the offer with added condition that Lance also teaches him the Cretan-like language he'd used at dinner, which he was then informed was Spanish. Lance wasn't sure he'd be able to learn three languages at the same time without causing confusion and problems, but Ed's stubbornness won out and Lance caved. So, they spent the hour breaks they had in between their training in the library with Blue, alternating between Altean and Spanish. Lance was pleasantly surprised when Ed seemed to pick up Spanish with hardly any problems. The Altean took a little more effort but Ed and Lance were happy with his progress and Lance was especially happy because it helped him further his own Altean skills. Blue was especially helpful when it came to Altean, correcting their pronunciation and helping them figure out the more difficult words.

Pidge and Green joined them sometimes but she was more often than not in Green's hangar with the big cat in robot form so she could work on upgrading her systems or working on her promised gift to Edward. Hunk often joined her, working on Yellow's systems as well, but he did find the time to bake Ed his promised cookies, something that made the blonde his best friend for the remainder of the day since he decided to bake not one but three of Edward's favourite. Mustang was allowed some of the cookies but only some. Black and Red spent more time with their Paladins than they did Ed but they were suspiciously close by when he got his cookies.

Allura found them during one of Ed and Lance's language lessons, Mustang having decided to try and learn Altean as well (he was doing pretty good though Ed would never admit it out loud), and the other Paladins had manage to convince Keith and Shiro to join them in the library so they weren't tempted to get a head start on the next training session. Keith had been drawn into the language lesson while Shiro was happy using his translation app on his tablet to read books he'd found.

"Hey, Allura. What's up?" Pidge asked when she spotted the Altean walking through the doorway, effectively drawing everyone's attention to the princess. She stood in front of them, her hands clasped loosely in front of her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your leisure time but I wanted to bring you up to speed with the plans Coran and I have come up with, with the help we've been given by the local inhabitants of the planets we have been conversing with." She told them and the effect of her words were immediate. Everyone in the room, Lions included, sat up straighter and focused completely on her. "As of right now, we are currently two and a half quintets away from Zarkon's last know location. We have slowed down slightly after that scare with the Galran scout. The plan is to hide the Castle-ship behind one of the largest and densest planets to try and obscure our position to their radars once we've turned off the shielding. Once we're hidden, I need two of you and Edward to take one of our pods so he can use his array as planned. Once he's back and we've gathered the information his array, we'll come up with the battle plan." She faced Pidge directly for the next part. "Do you think you can install the same shielding program in Green into one of the pods without sacrificing your training time?" She asked and Pidge thought over what she'd need to do.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. Hunk can help if something comes up that might make it take longer than expected." Pidge told her. Allura let out a low, relieved sigh.

"Thank you, Pidge and Hunk. That's one less thing for me to worry about." She said gratefully, causing Lance and Shiro to frown in concern. Lance leant forward and whispered in Pidge's ear. The young girl frowned before grinning and nodding excitedly.

"We can do that. You organise the non-tech part and I'll take care of the rest." Lance nodded in agreement and Hunk was the only one – other than their Lions – who didn't look completely baffled by what had just happened.

"I'll take care of the snacks." Hunk offered and gave Lance the high-five he'd silently asked for in response. Everyone else's confusion deepened even more. Lance spotted the curious looks and immediately tutted at them.

"Nope. Don't bother asking. This is a surprise." He said, wagging a finger at them all. Allura looked torn between following his order or asking anyway. In the end, she elected to just let it play out. She could always veto the plans if she needed too.

"Okay." Allura said slowly before addressing the rest of the group once more. "Thank you. I am sorry to have interrupted your leisure time. I will see you all at dinner time." She said, bowing slightly, before leaving with a chorus of goodbyes following her.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly with the added excitement of Lance, Pidge and Hunk's surprise buzzing through them all. Mustang was less excited and more intrigued by what the plans were, especially when Hunk asked Shiro if they could do training without him in the last varga of the last training session so he could organise everything needed for tonight. Mustang fully expected Shiro to apologise and tell him no but the teenage boy pulled out some of the most lethal puppy-dog eyes that, when paired with Yellow's kitten eyes, meant Shiro didn't stand a chance and the boy and his Lion ran out of the room with an enthusiasm that Mustang hadn't been expecting.

They hadn't even gotten over the fact that Hunk had taken off and forcing Shiro to change the training slightly to adjust for the loss of the boy and his Lion when Ed walked in and disrupted their training once again.

"How come you're here?" Keith asked as Shiro called out to stop the simulation. Red and Black looked just as curious.

"Lance and Pidge wanted to finish up the training a bit early to get whatever they have planned for tonight set up. I told them it was fine so I'm joining you lot for this last hour of training, if that's alright with you, Shiro?" Ed asked the second team leader.

"That's fine with me. We were going to do this last hour without the two Lions. You good with that?" Shiro asked and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"It's your call." Ed said. "Weapons or nah?" He asked, hand hovering over his automail arm. Shiro thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Let's do it without weapons for now." He said and Ed lowered his arm before taking his chosen spot between Keith and Mustang and looking at Shiro expectantly. "Training sequence begin from previous level." Shiro called out and they watched the gladiators rise through the floor before Shiro gave the system the go ahead to start the training and they moved into action.

Mustang was quick to take down the first gladiator and went to grab it's discarded staff when two more gladiators rushed him and forced him away from it. His eyes widened slightly in shock as he took a couple of steps backwards and prepared to face the two gladiators unarmed when both gladiators were destroyed from behind, their robotic bodies fizzing and spitting before they dropped to reveal Keith and Ed standing there. Ed and Keith exchanged a grin before Ed tossed Mustang a staff and headed to the next enemy. Mustang didn't let the slight setback shake him and took down the rest of the gladiators with a slight vengeance.

"Does the system learn people's habits?" Ed asked as they too a quick water break with half a varga to go in the training session.

"Yeah. Why?" Shiro asked and Ed gave Mustang a look before shaking his head.

"No reason. Just curious about it." Ed shrugged, sipping at his water once more. Mustang was mildly shocked he had let the opportunity to rub Mustang's mistake in his face pass him by. "What are the plans for the last part of training?" Ed asked instead.

"All in." Shiro said and Ed looked almost as excited as the Lions. Mustang wanted to laugh at his enthusiasm at being able to use his blade and alchemy against the gladiators. The Lions were just excited about being able to fight alongside their favourite humans.

Everyone finished up their water, cleaned up their rubbish and headed for the usual spot in the training room. All of the previous gladiators had been cleaned up and removed. Shiro called out for a level to be prepared and the room complied. Nearly 3 dozen gladiators greeted them and Ed had to wonder where all of these robots were coming from and whether the ones they took out were able to be mended or if they were scrapped and parts cannabilised to make new gladiators. He figured that was a question for Hunk, Pidge or Coran though and decided to ask one of them later. Shiro gave the order and they moved to meet the gladiators with a clash that resonated throughout the room.

* * *

They finished up their training session with the gladiators and spent the last ten minutes discussing the training and seeing what everyone thought about how they and the team had gone and where they could have improved. While Keith was sharing his thoughts, Lance's voice came on over the speakers, causing Keith to scowl up at it even though Lance likely couldn't see it.

"If you're still torturing yourselves with training; stop. Hunk has dinner ready for everyone in the main dining area so gets your butts in there before we eat it all because Hunk made something that just proves my theory that he is a god and has blessed us mere mortals- "

"Oh my god, Lance." You could hear Hunk's embarrassed and pleased voice in the background.

"Hush, Hunk. Let me praise you." Lance sounded slightly muffled, like he was turned away from the mic. Shiro was chuckling slightly at the two boys he couldn't see. "Anyway, get to the dining room ASAP before we eat all the food. If you go near the main lounge room, I'll sic Blue onto you." They could hear Blue's threatening snarl over the speaker before they cut off the connection. Ed figured he would've been more scared if he couldn't feel Blue's amusement through their bond.

"Come on. Let's go get dinner." Ed said, already heading for the door, Black and Red closely on his heels, obviously enthusiastic to be trying more of Hunk's food. Shiro, Keith and Mustang were forced to nearly jog to catch up with them and soon enough, they were joining everyone else at the dining room table. This time, Ed sat between Lance and Keith, with Blue and Red flanking Edward so they could sit next to him and their Paladin at the same time.

"I think you've out-done yourself, Hunk. This looks amazing." Shiro praised the Yellow Paladin as he helped himself to some food. Hunk flushed slightly as he started explaining what he'd whipped up for them.

"So, I don't know how I did it but I managed to create something that's a cross between enchiladas and chicken nuggets. It's a bit spicy, in case anyone has a thing about spicy foods. Then we've got a salad similar to a crunchy noodle salad, those Twistie looking things are actually space chips that have a kind of ham taste to them and the lavender coloured things over there taste like cheese but only when you mix it with the enchilada-nuggets thing." Hunk told them and Ed blinked a little before piling his plate up with more food than humanely possible.

"I'm just curious," Pidge asked as she looked mildly impressed at the amount of food on Ed's plate, "but how can you eat so much? I mean, I grew up with an older brother and he's got nothing on you when it comes to being able to eat so much." Ed managed to hide his snigger at Shiro's almost horrified face.

"The automail is heavier compared to normal limbs and I use a lot more energy hauling them around so I have to eat a lot to replace what I've used." Ed told her and she nodded like she expected that kind of answer. Shiro seemed to be relieved that Ed hadn't taken offence to Pidge's question and went back to eating his dinner.

The rest of the meal was spent alternating between small talk and not-so-subtle queries about the surprise the three youngest Paladins had set up from Shiro and Allura. Coran's eyes glinted knowingly and Ed was willing to bet he already knew what everyone had planned. Allura even went so far as to ask the mice – their connection with princess was something that Ed and Mustang were both consistently intrigued about – but they stayed stubbornly silent and no one could blame them when Lance revealed Hunk had bribed them with pieces of cookies in exchange for them not ruining the surprise. Allura pouted but admitted that was a good strategy for winning them over.

When dinner was over, everyone went to stand and take their dishes into the kitchen like they always did. When they went to go to the main lounge room, however, they were stopped by Blue and Yellow. Using Ed as the interpreter since their Paladins had disappeared into the lounge room with Pidge and Green, they found out they were doing the final preparations for the surprise. Blue flicked her ear back after a few minutes and both Lions parted to let everyone through, taking up the rear as they herded everyone into the lounge room. Ed and Mustang were not the only ones to stop and stare, mouths open, in shock at what greeted them.

* * *

The lounge room was nearly completely dark but small fairy lights twinkled from where they were strung up around the room and a massive pillow and blanket nest was spread across the floor and lounge. It looked so comfortable that Ed was half-convinced the blankets would swallow them whole as soon as they sat down in them. A big screen added to the light as the screen softly glowed blue from the image on it. A smaller screen sat on top of small stool and Ed could barely make out some black cords leading from the side of the laptop – he believed that's what Miss Penelope called it anyway – and disappeared behind the larger screen. There were snacks and drinks lining the small coffee table islands that floated in the middle of the blanket nest. Lance, Pidge and Hunk stood to the side, grinning like small children who knew they'd done good and were now waiting for the praise they knew was coming.

"A movie night?" Shiro was the first one to speak, voice betraying his awe and shock as he took in his surroundings.

"Yup. We figured everyone could use a couple of vargas to just relax without worrying about the upcoming battle and what better way than bingeing Pidge's Disney movie collection?" Lance told him excitably.

"Disney movies?" Ed asked just as Allura opened her mouth probably with an excuse to leave on her lips. His question garnered everyone's attention and Lance, Pidge and Hunk especially looked confused at his confusion before something seemed to click for Pidge.

"Do you guys have movies in Amestris?" She asked and both of them shook their heads. "Were you ever told what a movie was during one of your previous dimensional trips?"

"Yeah, actually. Miss JJ, Miss Emily and Miss Penelope took me to see 'Real Steel' when it was showing at the cinema but that's the only movie I've ever seen." Ed told her. "Amestris doesn't have the technology capable of making movies yet. The most advanced tech we've got are our cameras and, from what I've seen on Earth, they're not that great." Ed told them and Mustang took the opportunity to add on to that.

"When we discussed our technology with Miss Garcia, she told us we were about 100 years behind them. The only area we beat Earth is our alchemy." Mustang told them. They looked slightly stunned at the news, despite knowing Amestris was behind their planet. They just hadn't known how far behind they were.

"Than this movie night is doubly important!" Lance exclaimed. "We have got to introduce you to one of the most important collection of movies that ever existed! No one should go their entire life without seeing one Disney movie." He declared, literally putting his foot down as he stamped it slightly.

"So why is the room set up like this?" Ed asked, watching Allura out of the corner of his eye. The space princess looked like she was still debating how she could get herself out of this and get back to the exhausting battle plans.

"It's the best way to watch movies." Lance said simply before waving everyone over so they could get comfortable. Pidge was waiting next to her laptop for everyone to get into the blanket nest so she could start the movie. Coran made to step forward when everyone did but stopped when he noticed Allura hadn't moved with them.

"Princess?" Coran's questioning whisper wasn't low enough for no one else to hear. Everyone paused in what they were doing in order to see what Allura was doing.

"Thank you for putting this together, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, but I'm afraid I must decline. I still have to figure out the next part of our attack plan." Allura's brow furrowed as she thought of the plan. They'd been struggling to make some sort of plan but they lacked most of the information they needed until Ed would be able to scan Zarkon's ship for them.

"Princess," Mustang's voice got their attention, "I believe a short break would be beneficial to you. The plans will still be there in a few vargas and you can get back to them with a refreshed mind. I understand the need to get everything perfect as quickly as possible, especially considering what's at stake." He went to say more but Allura interrupted him.

"That's why I shouldn't be here. I need to finalise the plans." She told him, voice slightly higher than normal.

"That's why you need a break where you're not doing anything." Mustang insisted. "Last time we all sat down to help with the planning, you said we couldn't really do much until Fullmetal has had the opportunity to scan the ship. You're going to burn yourself out before the battle from stressing over something you can't finish because you don't have all of the parts available to you yet." Mustang told her and she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times but nothing came out.

"I suppose you're right." Allura finally conceded.

"First time for everything." Edward muttered. Mustang elbowed him while Lance and Hunk snorted and Keith grinned. Ed scowled and his eyes promised revenge as he rubbed his ribs.

"I'll join you for your movie night." Allura continued like she hadn't heard Ed, though the slight upwards curl of her lips suggested otherwise. "After all, this does look very well put together and I'd hate to miss out." She said, smiling a proper smile at the three who'd put the movie night together. Lance let out a whoop of victory and high-fived Hunk.

"Alright! Everyone, get comfortable." The Blue Paladin ordered. Everyone did as they were told while Pidge worked her magic on the laptop.

* * *

When she was done, she looked at the group to try and figure out where she'd sit. Edward was in between Lance and Shiro while Hunk was on Lance's other side and Mustang was next to him on the end of the couch. Keith was on Shiro's other side while Allura and Coran were closest to Keith but still maintained some distance between themselves and the humans. The Lions were curled up around or beside their Paladin. Blue and Black had sandwiched Ed between them while their bodies acted as pillows for their Paladins. Red was curled up next to Keith, hence the distance between her Paladin and the Alteans. Yellow had mimicked Blue and Black and had sandwiched herself between Hunk and Mustang while letting Hunk use her body as a pillow. She kept glancing at Mustang, making the older man slightly worried for his life. The Paladins had all noticed the Lions passive-aggressive hostility towards the eldest alchemist and none of them could figure out the reason for it. Lance, Hunk and Pidge thought it was hilarious.

" _Are you coming to sit down?"_  Green asked her and she started, having not realized she'd drifted off in her own world a little. Her Lion was lying at the foot of the couches, practically buried in the nest of blankets. Pidge laughed at how ridiculously comfortable she looked and waded through the blankets to join her, using her Lion as a pillow, just as the movie started.

They watched 'Mulan' first, which was a big hit with Keith and Ed and caused them debate if they could recreate the avalanche scene against the Galrans somehow while Pidge lined up the next movie, 'The Little Mermaid'. Lance and Hunk let out excited noises when they realized they were about to watch it and sung along to every song, despite Keith's grumbling. After that, they watched 'Brave' and Ed and Pidge both agreed Merida had her priorities right. Ed hadn't come across archery before and was excited to learn more about it. Mustang pointed out they had guns back home and Ed pointed out he didn't care. They made it through 'Tangled' and 'Moana' without any arguments and the next movie of the night actually caused Lance to cry a little. 'Coco' was a big hit with everyone and Hunk was nearly as emotional as Lance.

Everyone shared the snacks around during the movie marathon and Mustang had to admit he was enjoying this as much as everyone else. He'd been apprehensive about the movies when he'd been told they were primarily made for children but he soon changed his mind about them. The fact that Ed looked like he was enjoying himself may have played a role in helping him decided whether he liked the movies. There was a lot of laughter and chatter during and in between the movies and Ed was smiling and laughing more than Mustang had ever seen him do so before.

Allura was watching her Paladins and their guests interact every time she got the chance to do so. It was heart-warming to see them getting along so well, considering the mutual hostility between them and Edward when he first arrived. Even then, she had been hoping they would be able to get along better, knowing full well how important it was for team members to trust each other. It was why Voltron was so successful in their fights; their Paladins trusted each other completely. She had to admit though that she'd never imagined them getting along with Edward and Mustang as well as they were. She was glad to have been proven so wrong.

* * *

They were watching '101 Dalmatians' when they realized Pidge had nodded off to sleep. Hunk and Lance were trying their hardest not to follow her but it was a losing battle. Keith had fallen asleep on Shiro's shoulder and Allura and Coran kept telling themselves they'd get up in a few dobashes to go to their own beds but, deep down, they knew they wouldn't make it. Mustang was still watching the movie, as was Shiro, both too comfortable to move and, in Shiro's case, didn't want to disrupt those who had fallen asleep on him.

Ed was struggling as much as Lance and Hunk were but his reasons for not wanting to sleep were different to theirs. He didn't want to wake everyone up if he had a nightmare but he couldn't make himself leave the blanket nest so he could get some sleep. He couldn't believe he was struggling so much to stay awake considering how often he was able to pull numerous all-nighters. He'd had a some-what normal sleep routine since turning up on the Castle-ship so it shouldn't be so hard for him to stay awake but the combination of warmth, comfort and the overall safe atmosphere made his fighting to stay awake a losing battle.

" _You should go to sleep. I can sense you struggling."_  Black's voice startled him slightly and he shook his head slightly.

"I can't." He told her silently. "I don't want to wake everyone up if I have a nightmare." He explained and felt Blue's sympathy, though she couldn't actually speak to him at that moment because she was trying to convince her Paladin to go to sleep.

" _We'll wake you if you start having a nightmare. I promise."_  Black told him and Ed could feel the sincerity and concern coming from her and knew she'd keep that promise. He also felt Blue promise the same thing before she went back to persuading her pilot into sleeping instead of watching the movie that was still playing. Hunk had lost his battle and had slumped down onto Yellow, curling up slightly into his Lion. Mustang was still awake and, for all intents and purposes, still watching the movie but he was keeping an eye on Ed. He could see the blonde was fighting with himself to stay awake and could guess why. He met Shiro's gaze briefly and knew the oldest Paladin could see the reason behind Ed's struggle as well. To his surprise though, Ed curled up on Black after a few moments and fell asleep on her. Mustang watched him for a few moments before meeting Shiro's eyes once more, nodded slightly, and turned back to the movie.

Shiro watched the older man turn back the movie, seemingly without a single care more than what he's shown, but he could see the quick glances at Edward that told Shiro that Mustang was worried about something. Shiro could tell Black was paying careful attention to the young alchemist and it didn't take much to get her to tell him why. He felt a burst of pride go through him at the fact that his Lion was so concerned about the rest of their team. He gave the top of her head a pat as he slumped down a little more, careful not to jostle Keith too much as he did so.

* * *

Shiro didn't even realise he'd drifted off in a light sleep until his eyes snapped open when he felt his Lion's distress. He didn't immediately go into panic mode though because he realized quickly that Black wasn't sensing intruders or possible Galran forces approaching. The first thing he'd noticed was that Keith had moved and was now draped over his Lion instead. It took him an extra couple of seconds after that to realise that his Lion was trying to wake the blonde sleeping on her, as was Blue, and they were getting slightly more frantic the longer it took, which accounted for the distress he'd felt. Thankfully, she somehow achieved her goal only a few seconds after Shiro was woken up.

Ed's eyes snapped open with a small gasp and some confusion before he groggily sat himself up a little. He was disorientated for a few moments but that cleared up as soon as he recognized his surroundings. Blue and Black were watching him with concern as he rubbed his eyes to wipe away any remaining sleep.

" _Are you okay? Did we wake you in time?"_ Black asked, Shiro hearing the question very faintly. This told him his Lion knew he was worried and confused so she'd decided to include him on her end of the conversation to try and quell his worries.

"Um, I think so. I don't remember having a nightmare. How'd you know?" Ed asked, stifling a yawn as he looked at both Lions.

" _Your heartrate was rising and your breathing was becoming quicker. We could feel your stress and fear."_  Black explained.

" _I'm glad we were able to wake you before it got too bad."_  Blue added, rubbing her head against the blonde's side. He scratched her behind the ear almost absentmindedly.

"Thank you." He mumbled gratefully before looking around to see if he had woken anyone else up. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Keith, the Alteans and Mustang were still asleep. Ed watched Mustang for a long moment but he was definitely still asleep. Then he looked up and his eyes met Shiro's and he felt guilt roll though him. "Sorry for waking you up." Ed murmured, looking away from Shiro so he didn't catch the Black Paladin shaking his head.

"You didn't wake me." Shiro said when he realised Ed hadn't seen his head shake. "Black woke me up accidentally." That didn't seem to comfort Ed at all and Shiro was quick to figure out why. "It's not your fault that Black woke me either." He told the blonde gently. Even in the barely lit room, Shiro could see the kid's cheeks darken with a flush. "I'm gonna go grab a glass of water. Do you want to come with?" Shiro asked, hoping Ed would take the offer. It was one of the most effective, yet simple, ways he'd found to combat nightmares.

"Okay." Ed said quietly and Shiro let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Okay." Shiro said in response. Rather than disturb everyone next to him, he climbed over the back of the couch, something he normally scolded the younger Paladins for doing. Black followed him over quickly and they turned back to watch Ed when he didn't immediately follow them. He seemed to be assuring Blue of something and double-checking that his commanding officer was definitely asleep before he turned around and pulled himself over the couch as well.

It was a quiet and relatively quick walk to the kitchens. Shiro had always found the Castle-ship both peaceful and eerie at this time. The only sounds he usually heard were the sounds of his own footsteps and the gentle, yet distant, hums of the engines. Tonight though, he was joined by the soft padding of Black's footsteps and the slightly uneven footsteps of Edward. They made it to the kitchen and the lights automatically came on as soon as they set foot through the door. Ed blinked at the sudden onslaught of light, fighting to get his eyes adjusted quicker.

Shiro gestured for Ed to sit at the kitchen bar, which he did, while he got them both a glass of water. He wasn't surprised to find Black sitting next to Ed. He didn't think he'd ever get over how big their Lions flesh forms were. Black was easily able to see over the top of the counter while sitting next to the unusually quiet blonde and if she sat up just a tiny bit straighter, she'd be able to look Shiro dead in the eyes once he'd taken his seat next to the blonde.

"Thanks." Ed mumbled as he accepted the tall glass from the Black Paladin.

"You're welcome." Shiro smiled before taking sips of his own water. Black was content to just watch them as they sipped their water, not saying a word to each other as they did so. "Did you want to talk about it?" Shiro's hushed voice broke the silence harshly, causing Ed to startle enough the remaining water in his glass sloshed but didn't spill.

"No offense, Shiro," Ed said, eyes averted, "but no. You wouldn't- my nightmares, they're… they're too much for anyone to handle." Ed told him, voice heavy and thick.

"So, why do you have to suffer them alone?" Shiro asked, as concerned for this boy as he would've been for any of the Paladins.

"They're my punishment for what I've done." Ed's voice was barely above a whisper. That sentence hit far closer to Shiro than he suspected Edward realised.

"You know, I think that about my nightmares as well." Shiro told him and Ed glanced up at him before looking away once again. "You know I was captured by Haggar and the Galra for over a year. I don't remember much about my imprisonment but nearly every night I have nightmares about the things I do remember and sometimes I get new memories appear during them. I found out that I was known as 'Champion' to the Galran and their supporters because I was forced to fight in their arena. I was forced to maim, injure and kill other prisoners just so I could survive. I remember doing horrible, unspeakable things to ensure I survived. I still don't know how I escaped but my nightmares will always make sure that I never truly forget what I was forced to do." Black pushed her head under his flesh arm to ground him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Ed told him and Shiro gave him a small, tight smile.

"So am I." Shiro said before shaking his head slightly. "My point was that I understand getting nightmares like that and not wanting to burden anyone else with them. I've recently had it pointed out to me by Lance that keeping my nightmares to myself only causes me more stress and makes me more upset which in turn affects how Voltron functions. He pretty much ordered me to speak to someone about my nightmares so I started talking to Black before you turned up. He was right about how much it helped me and I even started sleeping better knowing that someone else knew about them and never once judged me for what I was forced to do, no matter how horrible." Shiro scratched Black behind her ears only to snap his eyes back up to Ed when he let out a wet, derisive chuckle.

"This difference between you and me," he said, still refusing to look at the older man. He could feel the other Lions concern for him but he ignored it, "is that you didn't have a choice when you did those things. I did." He said, sniffling slightly and hating himself for doing so.

"That doesn't mean you deserve these nightmares." Shiro said gently. Ed shook his head with so much conviction that Shiro felt his heart drop a little.

"I do. These nightmares are me getting off lightly. I deserve worse than them." Ed sighed wearily, staring into his glass of water without really seeing it.

"Edward." The way Shiro said his name, so gentle and understanding, caused Edward to meet his eyes properly for the first time since they'd made it to the kitchens. "No matter what you did, you don't deserve nightmares where you're like this after being woken before the nightmare even took hold. I don't even want to know what you're like when you have to wake yourself up." Shiro said, shaking his head slightly. His nightmares left him exhausted and depressed the next day. Until Lance had confronted him, he'd thought he'd been hiding his sleepless and/or nightmare fueled nights from the team well. "No matter how bad your nightmares are, Edward, I'm sure I've seen or done things just as bad. If you want to talk to me, I'll listen." His voice promised no judgement but Ed still didn't budge.

"Shiro, trust me when I say this but there is no way you've seen anything like my nightmares." Ed shuddered as the memory of the thing he and Alphonse had created came to the forefront of his mind. Shiro didn't want to keep pushing and, before Lance had confronted him, he would have left it there but he knew better now. He knew how cleansing it was to tell someone else what had been keeping you up at night, no matter how horrific it was. So, he ignored Black's suggestion to just drop the subject and pushed again.

"Edward, I promise that talking about your nightmares will make you feel so much better-" Shiro stopped talking when he heard Ed's derisive snort and found himself looking golden eyes ablaze with disbelief and self-hatred.

"So, talking about the time I almost killed myself and my brother trying to transmute my dead mother back to life will make me  _feel better_?" He snapped so angrily that Shiro actually flinched back. His movement seemed to have made Ed realise what he said because his face turned from enraged to shock then horror. He slipped off the stool he was seated on, hand covering his mouth, and backing away slowly.

Shiro was still trying to process what Edward had said and grasp why it caused that reaction when he noticed the blonde slowly backing away from him towards the door. Ed lowered his gloved hand from his mouth slightly, mouth opening to say something before it shut abruptly and he was gone, blonde hair vanishing around the corner before Shiro could so much as say his name.

Black let out a soft whine and that's what finally broke Shiro out of his stupor and made him get off his stool and follow Edward. He made it out into the hallway and turned in the same direction Ed had but then realised he had no idea where the blonde alchemist went. There were, however, several places he could have gone and Shiro set his shoulders determinedly and readied himself to check them all. Black huffed and took the lead, directing him confidently through the Castle-ship and Shiro felt a slight rush of embarrassment at not having remembered that the Lions could practically pinpoint the blonde's position with surprising accuracy.

Shiro used the time it took to get from the kitchens to wherever Ed had fled to, to try and figure out what had caused him to react like that. He played the blonde's words over in his head and let them sink in before his eyes widened and he almost stopped where he was walking as he figured it out. One of the first things Edward had told them when talking about alchemy and its limits was that you couldn't bring the dead back to life. Now that Shiro was thinking about it, he recalled the first proper conversation they'd had after they'd been summoned by Truth but before Edward had given the Lions the transformation array. He'd been telling them about what had happened after his mother had passed away when he'd paused at a certain spot before glossing over it, clearly hiding something from them. Shiro had a feeling that he'd just been unintentionally told what that secret was.


	12. Chapter 12

Shiro wasn't overly surprised when Black led them to the library. He knew it was pretty much Edward's favourite place in the whole ship, choosing to spend time there rather than sleep or rest after training. He knew Mustang had gone in there a few times to try and coax Ed into at least napping for an hour or two. Black continued walking until they were at the staircase that led up to the second floor and she headed straight up, Shiro right on her tail. Black turned to the right and headed for the corner that Ed had claimed as his own. Lance had, once realizing Ed would stay curled up in the corner for hours at a time, brought up a small percentage of the softest blankets and fluffiest pillows he could find and created a small reading/napping nook for Edward. This is where Shiro and Black found Edward, the blonde sitting on the chair he'd made from some of the pillows, arms wrapped around another pillow while he stared blankly at a wall of books. Ed blinked slowly and Shiro felt his heart tighten at the sight of unshed tears in Edward's eyes.

"Edward?" Shiro was speaking softly so he didn't startle the blonde. They'd all learnt the hard way what happened if you did that. Despite his efforts, Ed did startle, leaping from his chair, dropping the pillow as he stood facing Shiro, body completely rigid and looking ready to escape at the earliest opportunity. Shiro made a calming gesture with his hands. "I just wanted to apologise for pushing the matter. I'm sorry I didn't respect how uncomfortable the subject was for you. I'm sorry." Shiro said honestly. Edward relaxed slightly but, judging from his facial expression, that was more from surprise than anything else.

"Why are you apologising?" Ed asked, still confused despite what Shiro had just said. "I should be the one apologising for leaving like that." It was Shiro's turn to shake his head.

"No, you had every right to leave. Hell, you could've punched me and no one would have blamed you." Shiro told him. "I'm apologising because, despite you clearly saying you didn't want to talk about it, I kept pushing the subject. I may know how good it feels to confide in someone all of your sins and secrets but I should never have pushed you to do the same thing when you clearly weren't ready to do so. For that, I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me." Ed still looked stunned but he nodded all the same. Black seemed happy enough with what Shiro had said to make herself comfortable in Edward's reading nook and watch them with her yellow eyes.

" _Both of you should come and sit down now. Might as well be comfortable until the others wake up and you'll never be able to sneak back into the lounge room without waking one of them."_  Black told them both as she curled up on herself to give them each a bit of room on either side of her. Ed did as he was told with only minor hesitation but Shiro didn't move.

"Do you mind?" He asked when Ed looked up at him after Black made a noise somewhere between questioning and impatient. Ed shook his head and gestured he could take the seat. Only then did Shiro actually take the seat he was offered. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Shiro spoke up. "I meant what I said, you know." Ed made a questioning noise and Shiro elaborated. "That if you wanted to talk to someone about your nightmares, I'd listen to you." He said and Ed didn't say anything, just nodded to show he'd heard him.

* * *

They sat in silence for so long that Shiro had thought Edward had might have managed to drift back off to sleep until he shifted, making Shiro look over and see that Edward was glaring at his knees. Shiro could see he was arguing with himself over something, if the look in his eyes meant anything. Shiro looked away before Ed could notice his gaze. He didn't want to influence whatever debate was warring inside his mind.

"When I was 5 and my brother was 4, our father walked out on us one morning. We wouldn't have known he'd left if Alphonse hadn't woken me to take him to the bathroom and we saw him before he abandoned us and our mother." Edward's voice was soft and Shiro didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. "When I was 9 and Alphonse was 8, our mother died from an illness she'd suffered most of her life. Our father never bothered to come home, despite the dozens of letters Al and I sent to every person we found in his address book. He didn't even bother showing up to her funeral." Shiro could hear the tired rage in Ed's voice, like he was still angry but resigned himself to feeling that mad.

"Granny and Winry looked after us, inviting us over for dinner, bringing us food a few times a week until we found our alchemy teacher and we moved towns to live with her while under her tutelage. We were there for nearly two years, moving back to our hometown when I was 11 but before Al's 10th birthday because he wanted to celebrate his 10th birthday with Granny and Winry." Ed's voice stayed soft and neutral. Shiro still didn't make any sort of sound. "When we came back, we started researching human transmutation, reading every single book and research journal in our father's study we could get our hands on and studying every note we took until we were confident we could pull it off. We gathered all the ingredients together, carefully drew the array in the basement, and activated the array. At first, we thought we'd done it. That Alphonse and I would be the first alchemists in the history of alchemy to bring someone back to life. The transmutation rebounded." Black whined at the emotions she could feel roiling inside of Ed and she winced when she saw the memory of the rebound. "The rebound energy nearly tore the room apart. It was ferocious, like a windstorm inside with us. Al and I knew as soon as the blue energy turned purple that we'd been so stupid. Before I could do anything, I felt the most horrendous pain in my leg and when I turned around to look, my leg was gone from the knee down. I didn't even get time to process that when Alphonse called out for me and I turned around in time to witness him being pulled apart in front of me. He disappeared just before I could grab him and I found myself in front of Truth. It sent me through the Gate and I gained knowledge before Truth told me that I'd exchanged my leg for it. When I woke up in the basement, Al was gone and the room was destroyed.

"I was hurt, bleeding out, and just witnessed my only family being torn into little pieces in front of me. I was calling out for someone to help us and begging for Alphonse to come back when something moved in the middle of the array and I remembered what we'd been trying to do. I begged my mother for help but," Ed swallowed visibly and Shiro was torn between staying quiet or telling him he didn't need to keep going if he didn't want too but Ed continued before he could do anything, "what we made, what I saw; it wasn't even human. I won't describe it because I don't think I could. It moved towards me and I watched it reach out for me only for its arm to fall off and thump wetly on the ground. I panicked and was looking around for something or someone to help me when I spotted an old suit of armour and got an idea. I knocked it over and used my own blood to draw the array I needed. When I activated it, I sacrificed my right arm for my brother's soul and bound it to the armour. It was the only way I could think of to save him at the time. I passed out and Al carried me to Granny's where she and Winry saved my life. Granny went back to our house while I was unconscious and cleaned up the evidence as best as she could. She buried the thing we made and cleaned up the blood. My nightmare is usually about mum turning into what we made and blaming me for everything and me not being able to save Al." Ed drew in a sudden and shuddering breath before looking at Shiro for the first time since they'd sat down. "Now you know my biggest secret. I almost got myself and my brother killed because I was too proud to consider the consequences of my actions." He said, voice wavering slightly. He let out an 'oomph' though when Black made herself at home on his lap. He didn't try pushing her off, didn't even voice a weak protest like he normally would've done when one of the Lions tried being affectionate. Shiro studied him hugging Black and came to a realisation.

"That's not the only thing you have nightmares about, is it?" Shiro asked and Ed shook his head. "I didn't think so. You don't have to tell me the rest if you don't want too." He said before Ed could say anything. "Thank you for sharing what you did. That had to be extremely difficult for you and I'm honoured that you trust Black and I enough to have told us about that night. I am so, so sorry you had to go through something like that. I was wrong when I said that nothing you could say would be something I hadn't heard before. I wish you and your brother didn't have to go through that, especially at such a young age. Having said that, I have to say that it doesn't sound like you were solely at fault for what happened that night. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your brother willingly helped and, from the stories you've told us while you've been here, your brother is just as smart as you so if he thought you couldn't do it, I can't believe he would've dismissed those feelings and helped you anyway. I don't think you deserve or should be carrying the weight of that decision and its consequences solely on your shoulders." Shiro told him firmly and both he and Black were surprised when Ed let out a wet chuckle before sniffling slightly.

"You sound exactly like Al and Mustang." He explained when he saw their confused expressions. "They're always telling me that I wasn't the only one to activate that array so I shouldn't be trying to hold myself solely responsible for what happened. But I'm the big brother and I should have known better." Ed argued tiredly.

"You were 11. I get the big brother thing. I feel the same about the rest of the Paladins. I'm the oldest, I'm the leader and every time they get hurt, all I can think is that I'm the one who sent them on that mission or ordered them into that spot and they got hurt because of a decision I made." Shiro admitted. Black looked at him unsurprised, despite him never having told her those particular thoughts. "I know that they chose to follow my orders and that they wouldn't have done so if they didn't agree with them or if there was a better option but I still feel responsible every time they come out of a battle injured. I think that's something that comes with being responsible for someone younger." Shiro told him before getting back to the main point he trying to make. "You were only 11. It would be a different matter if you were much older and knew better but you weren't and you didn't. If your brother is anything like you, I'm fairly certain he'd be yelling at you for thinking you were still the only one who deserves any blame." Shiro said confidently and was proven right when Ed let out a breathy laugh and nodded.

"Yeah, he would. I can't help it though." Ed said and Shiro hummed.

"Maybe you don't want to." He suggested and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

" _Do you think you can tell us the rest of your nightmares?"_  Black asked before Shiro could stop her. Shiro went to berate her when Ed's face immediately fell and any tension he'd lost was back but he stopped when Black kept talking.  _"I'm not trying to be nosy but I could sense the way you felt just a little lighter when you told us about how you got hurt. If you don't think you can, we'd understand but it might help you more if you talked to us rather than someone who may already know a bit about your nightmares."_  She told him and Shiro couldn't argue with that point without being hypocritical himself.

"You're right." Ed admitted almost too quiet for them to hear him. "I don't like talking about this with Alphonse because he already has nightmares of his own to deal with and he already had to live through these events with me once. I can't talk to Winry or Granny about this stuff because they already know about that night. They don't need to know I've done things with consequences as bad as that again." Ed told them. Black wriggled in his lap and forced him to meet her eyes.

" _What about Brigadier-General Mustang?"_  Black asked and Ed shook his head.

"No. He already knows about it all but he doesn't get it." Ed told her and smoothed his hand over her cheek when he felt the flash of annoyance aimed at Mustang. "It's not entirely his fault. Up until the fight with Father, our relationship was built on mutual dislike and begrudging respect. I don't think he knows how to deal with me when I'm not being a dick." Ed admitted and Black made a noise of protest at that. Ed let himself smile a little. "You should have met me a couple of years ago. I can admit I was a bit of a dick to practically everyone in the military. Well, except Miss Riza and Miss Sheska." Ed huffed a laugh at Black's grumble, causing Shiro to smile. Ed took a deep breath before looking back at Shiro then at Black again.

"Just remember that you don't have to tell us if you don't want too." Shiro reminded him. Ed nodded and Shiro wondered if he would stay quiet on the matter but his eyes lost the hesitancy and became resolved as he looked back at Shiro.

"The second person to always show up in my nightmares is a little girl Al and I befriended. She was five years old and her name was Nina. Her father was a state alchemist, granted his title two years before we met him. She had this big fluffball of a mutt called Alexander. That dog was her best friend. You'd never see one without the other." Ed eyes started watering but no tears fell yet. "In order to keep your title, research state alchemists are required to present significant results in their chosen area of research. Nina's father, Shou Tucker, was a research state alchemist and his results the previous year were unsatisfactory so he was under a lot of pressure to produce something that would allow him to keep his military title and all the benefits that came with it. His area of study was chimeras. Do you know what that is?" Ed's voice had turned hard and angry from the moment he'd mentioned the man's name and Shiro could sense the hate for him was even more than what Ed felt for his own father. He suddenly wasn't sure he wanted Ed to keep talking but he swallowed that thought down to answer.

"If it's similar to Greek mythology here, it's a creature that made from combining a lion, goat and snake." Shiro said and Ed nodded.

"Yes, though chimeras in Amestris can be made from other animals as well as those three." Ed told him before readying himself to keep talking once more. "Mustang had introduced me and Al to him so we could study bio-alchemy in hopes we might find a lead to get our bodies back. Nina interrupted us one afternoon while we were studying and we soon had a little sister and dog. Our days were part study and part play. We'd only known this little girl and her dog for a few days but she wormed her way into our hearts and became family. She was just the sweetest child you would have ever met. Loved every single person and animal she met. I was so blinded by my own goals that I missed all of the signs that could've saved her." Tears now started falling, slowly at first but the longer he spoke, the more tears that fell. "Al and I turned up at their house one morning and we knew something had happened. We could feel it as soon as we walked through the door. Nina and Alexander didn't greet us like they'd always done. Tucker didn't greet us as we entered the house. All the lights were off so the only light that we could see by was whatever made it through the clouds covering East City. We went through the whole house, trying to find them and we finally came across Tucker in his research lab. He was crouching in front of this chimera he had made and was excited to show us. This chimera was the second of its kind that he'd created and it was unique in the fact that it understood and could speak human speech.

"He was in the corner, commenting how relieved he was that he could keep his state title, while I was examining the chimera." Ed's face twisted with disgust and he scrubbed harshly at the tears rolling down his cheeks. "The chimera called me 'big brother Ed' and that's when I realised what Tucker had done. Two years before, his wife was reported to have left both him and his daughter to move back to the country to live with her parents, supposedly tired of being poor. No one questioned it and she was forgotten when Tucker had announced he'd made a chimera that could understand and speak human speech but it later died when it refused to eat." Shiro could feel Black's disgust and horror at whatever she was sensing from Edward and his own sense of foreboding was growing stronger. "He'd transmuted his wife with an animal to gain his state alchemist title and when he was in danger of losing it, and all of the money that came with it, he transmuted Nina and Alexander together to create another talking chimera." Ed spat out before his breath was caught in a sob, golden eyes more furious than Shiro had ever seen them.

Black pressed herself completely into Edward's space and he wrapped his arms around her neck before muffling his sobs into her fur. Shiro couldn't bring himself to do anything, despite wanting to grab the kid and crush him with his own hug. He was in shock at what Edward had just told him and he felt his own anger rising at the thought of a man he'd never met doing what he'd done to his own daughter. Not only that but he let himself be discovered by two children who were close to his daughter. He'd witnessed and heard about some truly horrible and cruel things, in space and back on Earth, but he'd never heard of anything so cruel and inhumane as this. From the state Ed was currently in, he had the feeling that Nina and Alexander hadn't survived their ordeal.

Shiro felt his anger at this Tucker grow even more as he watched Edward cry into Black's fur, fingers desperately clutching her hair like he was afraid she'd move away if he didn't. His anger expanded even more as he went over what Ed had told them. This man had committed an act so atrocious that it was almost indescribable, against his own daughter and the family pet and he'd done it  _knowing_ Edward and his brother would be the ones to discover them the next day. He'd destroyed his daughter and permanently scarred two teenagers all because of some  _title_? If he was in any room other than the library, he probably would've punched the wall in an attempt to dissipate his rage, even by a little.

Shiro didn't see Ed glancing at him through Black's hair nor did he see his golden eyes fall slightly as he tucked his face back into Black's neck. Ed sniffled as he hid away from the world to wallow in his self-disgust. He'd seen the anger on Shiro's face, something he wasn't surprised by. What he was surprised by was how much it hurt to know that Shiro – someone he hadn't known for even a week – was angry and disappointed in him. A small part of him crowed at that because it showed that Ed was right all along; Nina and Alexander's deaths were his fault, no matter what Alphonse or Mustang said. He almost forgot about Black and her ability to read his mind but he was quickly reminded when he heard and felt the growl rumbling low in her throat.

" _Shiro does_ not _believe you are at fault for Nina or Alexander. You are incorrect in your assumption that his anger is for you. His anger is for the man who is solely responsible for this tragedy: Shou Tucker."_  Black told him, voice wavering slightly at the effort it took for her not to yell at him. Ed stiffened as her words resonated in his head. Ed didn't miss Shiro's head turning suddenly to face him with an aghast look on his face.

"No, Ed! I wasn't blaming you!" Shiro was quick to confirm what Black had said. "God, who could blame you for that? It wasn't your fault, Ed and I'm sorry I made you assume that." Shiro apologised profusely. Ed pulled away Black enough to be able to face the man. No one commented on the tears still spilling down his cheek.

"But it is." Ed protested, sniffling weakly. "If I'd just paid attention to the signs, I could have saved them." He hated how weak he was appearing in front of these two but he couldn't help it. This talk had made him exhausted on top of the exhaustion he was already feeling from his usual lack of sleep.

"What signs?" Shiro asked, making Ed frown and sit up a little straighter, rubbing at his face.

"He was so worried about passing his assessment. I should've seen how desperate he was. I knew his wife had disappeared only a few days before his first successful human-chimera." Ed's face screwed up in disgust once more. "I should've put the two together and figured out what he'd done to Nina's mother and stopped him before he could do it to Nina." Ed's eyes glazed over as his memories drug him back into their grasps, determined to punish him with images of Nina and Alexander, both as themselves and as the chimera.

"No." Shiro's voice dragged him back out of his thoughts before he could get too lost in them. "No, Edward. You were only 15. No one would've expected you to realise what was going to happen. You said his wife disappeared 2 years beforehand?" Shiro asked and Ed nodded, a tad hesitantly, like he couldn't figure out where he was going. "People older and more experienced with the horrible things humans are capable of than you had two years to realise something was wrong. Someone had the opportunity to come forward and report his wife missing. Her family, her friends, someone. Someone in the military should've pressed harder to figure out how he'd created that first chimera. There were probably dozens, if not hundreds, of opportunities for someone to have tugged that one string that would have unraveled everything before you came along. Uncovering Tucker's crimes was not up to you and you never should have been exposed to that." Shiro almost teared up himself when Ed just stared at him, mouth agape, like he'd never once thought of that. "What happened to Nina and Alexander was more horrible than I can say but there are a lot more people who should take responsibility for not being able to uncover Tucker for the monster he was before it cost a little girl her life before you ever should."

* * *

The thing that struck Shiro the most, once he'd finished talking, was the way Edward cried. He buried his face back into Black's neck and barely made any noise, like he'd trained himself to cry quietly so he wasn't heard and that's what broke Shiro's heart even more. He didn't have to read Black's emotions to know she was feeling the same way he was. They both knew as well that Ed hadn't gotten everything off his chest just yet and that realisation made Shiro sad because what the kid had already told them about was horrific and he still had more to get through.

Ed felt Black trying to soothe him through the bond he shared with her and, to his embarrassment, he felt the other Lions worry and attempts at calming him. The part of him that wasn't emotionally stunted, as Alphonse lovingly put it, appreciated their efforts but the other part of him wanted to alchemise the ground so it would swallow him. After a few moments of letting himself be comforted as he cried, because it felt really nice and he hadn't let anyone other than Al see him cry, he quietened his sobs and forced his tears to stop. Letting go of Black's neck, he used his flesh hand to wipe any lingering tears from his face.

"You don't-" Shiro went to remind him that he didn't  _have_  to tell him everything that kept him up at night but Ed shook his head vehemently.

"No. I said I would so I'm going to. I'm nearly done." Ed ground out as he struggled to put the lid back on his emotions. Shiro, despite wanting to, didn't argue any further. Black backed off a little when Ed pushed against her lightly but she didn't stray far. It took nearly a minute for Ed to feel like he was back in control of his emotions and he started talking about his third most frequent nightmare. "Maes Hughes was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Investigations department of our military and Mustang's best friend, despite how he acted around him. I first met him when I went through the exams to become a state alchemist so I was 12. Al met him during my first mission in Central and he became something of a big brother or uncle to us both. He was a fun person, always happy to see us and didn't hesitate to push Mustang's buttons. He was married to Gracia and it still baffles me how she managed to put up with him enough to marry him. They had a daughter, Elysia, together and she's just like her father. Hughes could drive you mad with all the photos he had of them both and the three of them together. There was nothing in the world he loved more than the two of them and he wasn't shy about telling everyone how much he adored them. Used to make Mustang crazy." Ed chuckled a bit before his brows furrowed and his lip wobbled a little. "He was the kind of father every kid deserved. I never understood why but he practically adopted me and Al on the spot. Whenever he heard I'd been injured or sent on a particularly dangerous mission, he always called Mustang to yell at him and called me to see how I was. He did everything in his power to make sure Al and I were okay every time we were in Central and he always made time to see us whenever we were in town. We never had to book a hotel or buy our own food in Central because he'd find us and somehow always talked us into staying at his and Gracia's, no matter how long we were in town for." Ed paused and Shiro took the opportunity to speak for the first time since Ed started this tale.

"He sounds like a good person." Shiro hadn't missed the fact Ed had been talking in past tense but he couldn't bring himself to do the same thing.

"He was. Irritating as all hell but a really, really great person." Ed nodded, biting his bottom lip a little to stop it trembling. "I ignored orders to stay in my hotel room one night after Al and I uncovered and deciphered notes on how to make a Philosopher's Stone. Obviously, we couldn't make one ourselves, not with what the main ingredient was, but we knew we had to figure out how the military could be continuing their experiments on the stone. We sat down with another state alchemist friend of ours and realised there was a lab that was conveniently placed next to a prison and was deemed structurally unsound and no one was permitted inside. We knew it had to be where they were experimenting on the stones but we were ordered to stay away. We didn't listen and snuck away from our guards that night." If this was any other time, Shiro might have made a comment but he couldn't bring himself too. "I went into the lab by myself because Al couldn't fit and we couldn't kick the door down or alchemise our way in without alerting the guard stationed at the lab. Al was soon fighting another soul bonded to armour and I was fighting two souls bonded to the same armour inside. I won my fight but only just and before I could leave to help Al or look around the lab for more answers, I was in another fight, this time against two homunculi. They weren't impressed that I'd nearly been killed by the armour or that I'd gotten so close to the truth and they managed to knock me out. When I came too, I was in the hospital and Al was telling me how someone had blown the building up and rescued me.

"When I asked him to describe the person who'd pulled me from the collapsing building, he described one of the homunculi I'd been fighting. Hughes came to visit me while I was in hospital and I told him everything that had happened. He promised he'd investigate reports of people matching the homunculi's description but he uncovered so much more than we expected." Ed paused and he worked hard to keep the tears welling up in his eyes from spilling over. "He was confronted by one of the homunculi but got away from her before trying to call Mustang. We think he decided to go to the park and use the payphone there in case the military were tapping their own phones. Hughes was waiting to be patched through to Mustang when someone approached him. One of the homunculi could use his stone to shapeshift to look like anyone or anything he wanted and he shifted to look like a Lieutenant we know well in the military. Somehow, Hughes figured out they were a fake but before he could attack, the homunculi shifted to look like Gracia and Hughes froze. The homunculi shot him and left him to bleed out just as Mustang answered the phone. He died before anyone could report the gunshot." Ed sounded tired by the time he finished speaking. Not just sleepy tired but tired of life, like he was just done with everything. Black bumped her forehead against his temple and he let out a weary sigh.

"Ed, I am so sorry you lost him but I'm not sure I understand how it's your fault." Shiro said apologetically. He didn't want to ask but he needed all of the information he could get so he didn't accidentally make this all worse.

"He died because he was trying to help me. If I'd kept my mouth shut or never left our hotel room that night, he wouldn't have gone looking for that information and he wouldn't have been killed." Ed told him, like it was completely obvious. Shiro and Black shared a look that Ed didn't see because he was scrubbing his face roughly again after a couple of tears had managed to spill over.

" _From the emotions and memories I felt and saw while you were talking about him, it seems that Maes Hughes loved you almost as much as he loved his daughter, wife and best friend. I doubt you would have been able to stop him from doing everything he could to help you and your brother stay safe. It is tragic that he died but I highly doubt he would ever blame you for his death. You shouldn't either and I'm positive you've been told this before."_  Black stated with no room for argument. Both Ed and Shiro could feel just how confident she was in her words and it was enough that Ed actually stopped to consider the possibility her words were true. When she felt him dismiss her words, she wasn't surprised but pleased because her words weren't buried. In fact, her words brought up numerous snippets of memories of various people telling him the same thing. She hoped the message being repeated in his head in different voices would help him realise the truth of those words.

"Black's correct." Shiro told Ed, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm not going to give you pretty words because I honestly don't think anything I could say would somehow magically make what you've suffered through less traumatic. To be frank, it would be kind of insulting if I did. Those things happened to you and they were horrifying and they have left their mark on you, both physical and emotional. But they also made you who you are today. I wish you never had to go through anything like that, I really do, but nothing I say will make what happened any less terrible. All I can do is offer you someone who is always willing to listen to you if you need it and tell you something I've told every person on this ship at least once." Shiro's serious gaze made it so Ed couldn't do anything except keep eye contact. "You can't keep focusing on what went wrong. You can focus on how to make it right and learn from it." There was nothing but complete honesty on Shiro's face and Ed knew the man would keep his word about being there if Ed needed to talk.

The fact that they would be separated by dimensions after the upcoming battle didn't matter in that moment. All that Ed could think of was the fact that this person and Lion had listened to his darkest secrets, to his nightmares, the single worst mistake he'd ever made and the worst moments of his life, and neither of their opinions on him had changed for the worst. He was completely stunned. He'd always assumed that if someone who wasn't Alphonse or someone he was close with and they found out the extent of his sins, they would think of him as a monster.

" _Oh, Ed. You could never be thought of as a monster. Not by anyone who has spent more than five minutes with you. I bet even those criminals you've fought against don't consider you a monster, even if they don't appreciate the fact that you managed to arrest them."_  Black assured him, sounding a lot like his mother whenever he'd run to her after a fight with Winry or Al and was worried they didn't like him anymore.

Ed felt a warm hand on his cheek and startled slightly, looking at the hand and following it up to the face of the person it was attached too. Shiro was looking at him with soft, understanding eyes. Ed may not have been told details of what Shiro had been forced to do in the arena but he could imagine and knew the older boy really did understand his thoughts. Shiro shifted closer, so their sides were pressed up against each other and his hand left Ed's face to wrap around his shoulders and pull him further into his side. Ed froze initially, not used to affection that didn't come from Alphonse, Winry or Elysia, but the draining exhaustion from the emotional talk hit him like a freight train and he melted into the warmth quicker than he would have thought possible.

Shiro opened his mouth to say something more but Black's warning growl in his head had him stopping and staring at his Lion in shock. Her pointed look at Edward had him following her gaze and was taken aback to see the kid was already fast asleep, his head tipped onto Shiro's chest and snoring softly. Shiro knew how much trust it showed that Ed fell asleep on him and he couldn't help but liken this moment to when Keith had first fallen asleep on him, back before Shiro had accepted the Kerberos mission. He shuffled down slightly and pulled up one of the blankets to cover himself and Edward. Black slipped out from under the blanket and resettled herself so she was draped over them both.

* * *

Black watched her human slip into a dreamless sleep through her barely open eyes. She could tell Edward would have no nightmares tonight but that didn't stop her from checking on them both, just in case. She couldn't sleep right now, too awake from what Ed had told them. Despite being privy to all of Edward's thoughts, feelings and memories – at least until he learned to block them properly – she'd respected his privacy enough to not touch more than the surface.

" _Is everything alright? We felt Ed's distress and emotions and reached out but he blocked us."_  Apparently Ed could block them if he wanted to. Black assumed it was out of the need to try and keep as many people from finding out as possible.  _"He lifted the block before he went to sleep but his emotions are a mess still."_  Blue asked and Black could feel the other three listening intently.

" _Edward… he explained his nightmares to Shiro and I after he accidentally let slip something when Shiro pushed him a little too far."_  She felt their slight irritation at her pilot and her own protective instincts flared in response.  _"He didn't mean too. Anyway, I'm not telling you what Edward said but his nightmares are truly disturbing. He can tell you himself if he wishes too. He's alright now though and both he and Shiro are getting some sleep."_  Black told them and she could feel their desire to know what had their favourite blonde so upset but didn't push her for the information.

" _He's definitely alright, though?"_  Red asked and Black hummed a confirmation. She felt Red and her other sisters relax slightly and huffed silently as she settled against her pilot's leg before waiting to see if her sisters had any more questions or worries.

" _Are you in the library still?"_  Green asked, something that piqued Black's curiousity.

" _Yes. Why?"_  Black asked and Green felt Black's suspicion, something that caused her amusement. It's not like she could judge her sister for it, considering all of them were as protective of the blonde as they were their Paladins.

" _So we know what to tell our Paladins and the others when they wake and see that two of their team and a Lion is missing."_  Green told her and Black felt a small twinge of guilt. She hadn't thought about what the others would think if they weren't there when they woke up.

" _Good point. Yes, we're in the library. I have a feeling that Shiro will still wake up in time for training but on the off chance he doesn't, I'll wake him myself so you can tell your Paladins we'll meet them for breakfast."_  Black instructed and felt them agree to pass the message on to their pilots and the three others.

They didn't speak much after that and, one by one, she sensed her sisters falling back asleep. Black stayed awake for only a few minutes longer, just watching her pilot and her favourite blonde sleeping peacefully. The quiet of the Castle-ship and the overall cozy atmosphere eventually took their toll on her and she, too, fell into an uninterrupted sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Surprisingly, Shiro was the first out of the three of them to wake up, half an hour before the alarms would have normally sounded to signal the start of a new day cycle. He made an aborted movement to sit up when he remembered the events of last night and that he was no longer in the lounge room he'd fallen asleep in. A glance at the warm weight pressed against his left side showed that Edward was still curled up against him, fast asleep. Shiro took a few moments to really look at the younger man while he was asleep and was amazed at the difference. He'd never realised just how weighed down Edward had seemed while he was awake until Shiro got to see him in a peaceful sleep. He'd give the kid credit where he deserved it; he hid his inner demons well.

" _If you wake him up with all of your observing, I'll eat you."_  Black threatened sleepily as she yawned, her huge mouth stretching wide enough Shiro's head could've easily fit inside and teeth flashing sharply before she blinked at him, eyes blinking slowly as she woke up fully.

"I'm trying my best not to." Shiro promised. He was fairly certain Black wouldn't eat him. Maybe take a chunk out of his arm or something but not kill him. Black's amusement at that thought had him second-guessing for a moment before she grinned at him and Shiro relaxed. "He just looks so much younger when he's asleep. I never realised how much he's been carrying on his shoulders. Do you think that talk last night did anything to help him?" Shiro asked, using his and Black's telepathic connection to avoid waking the blonde up. He heard Black hum before she answered.

" _I really can't say either way. Right now, he feels more at peace but I don't know if that will be the case when he wakes up. Something tells me he's not a fan of sharing as much as he did last night with anyone, let alone someone he's only known for a few days. I hope it did help him but it's up to him whether it truly did or not."_  Black sighed as she watched Ed's chest rise and fall evenly as he continued to sleep, oblivious to their discussion about him.

"I can't believe he's been through so much at his age. I doubt what he told us was everything as well." Shiro frowned as he thought about it. He'd heard Edward and Mustang make quips to each other about Ed's missions and his tendency to hide his injuries. Shiro was amazed and shocked that Mustang never seemed to run out of different injuries and missions to bring up whenever they'd met up in between training sessions. The missions didn't sound any worse than things he'd heard about police investigating back home – minus the alchemy - until you remembered how old Ed would've been when he undertook them. He went to say something more when Black's ear flicked backwards in response to something only she could hear. "What is it?"

" _My sisters are awake as are Keith, the Alteans, Mustang and Pidge. Hunk and Lance are apparently trying to sleep in a little more."_  Black told him, a slight chuckle in her voice that had Shiro smiling slightly at her.  _"Blue and Yellow are using… interesting methods to wake them up."_  Black smirked and Shiro snorted, causing Ed to shift a little, something that brought a new issue to Shiro's eyes.

"What do we do about him?" Shiro asked, loathed to wake Ed up considering how much everyone knew he needed some proper sleep. On the other hand, they needed to head to training soon and they couldn't afford to slack off, not with the how important the upcoming fight was, and he'd have to wake up shortly if he wanted breakfast.

" _I guess we should wake him. I have a feeling he'd appreciate that more than missing breakfast or being awoken and interrogated by someone else."_  Black said, not sounding very happy with what she said. Shiro could understand that.

"Edward?" He gripped the blonde's flesh shoulder and lightly shook it. Edward stirred, brow furrowed, but didn't wake up. "Edward, you need to get up. We've got to get to breakfast before Lance eats everything." Shiro said and Ed grumbled before blinking awake. He looked confused as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Shiro and Black were able to pinpoint the exact moment when Ed's memories of the night caught up to him. His eyes widened slightly and his facial expression was something between self-hatred and embarrassment, his cheeks flushed red and he refused to make eye contact with either the Lion or her Paladin as he sat up fully, the blanket falling off his shoulders as he did so.

"Please don't tell anyone else what I told you." Ed asked, voice soft and meek and Shiro decided then and there that he never wanted to hear his voice sound like that again. He still refused to look at either of them but his brow furrowed, like he didn't understand something being said to him. His whole face went slack and he looked horrified. "What do you mean you heard everything? How? I thought you couldn't hear me unless I let you?" Shiro deduced that he was talking to one of the other Lions. Ed paled and he put a hand over his mouth as he listened to whatever whichever Lion was talking to him said. "I'm sorry you guys heard all of that." Ed said after a moment and Black let out a soft growl while Shiro wondered if Ed even knew he was currently talking out loud.

" _Edward Elric, you listen to me right now."_  Black demanded and both Ed and Shiro flinched back at the tone of her voice. The only way Shiro could describe it was as a 'mum' voice.  _"None of us have changed our opinion of you since discovering what your nightmares are about. All of us wish you never had to go through any of that but none of us think any of it was solely your fault or that you are a despicable human being because you couldn't see into the future and prevent what happened._ No one _could have predicted what would've happened to Nina or Hughes and no one could've told you how badly the array would've rebounded on you and your brother. I will concede that the failed transmutation was a mistake that you made but it wasn't solely your fault either. Your brother played a part and so did your father."_  Ed blinked at that and met Black's eyes for the first time that morning.

"Not that I'm not all for blaming my worthless father for everything but how exactly is he partly to blame for what we did that night? He didn't force us to do anything or encourage us. He had no part in it." Ed told her, still confused as to how Black could put any blame on his father for what he and Alphonse did.

" _If he hadn't left his journals and books where you and Alphonse could get to them, you wouldn't have found the instructions for the transmutation and committed the taboo. While I'm sure he didn't think you would've tried that array, he still shouldn't have left the instructions anywhere you or your brother could find them."_  Black told him and looked miffed at that startled looks on Shiro and Ed's faces.  _"Well, what would you have done if the information you needed wasn't right there for you to find in your own home?"_  Black asked Ed and he opened his mouth before shutting it as he thought his answer over.

"We would have more than likely tried to find the information somewhere else. Without my military title, we wouldn't have gotten very far and we would have had to be very careful so we weren't caught but we wouldn't have given up." Ed told her before pausing for a moment as he let himself play the scenario through in his head. "Al more than likely would have convinced me to let it go after a while though. He'd had a bad feeling before we activated that array but I never listened to him. If we hadn't had the information readily available and hadn't been able to find the information quickly, Al would've been able to talk me out of it after a while of no information." Ed admitted quietly.

" _That's what I thought you might say."_  Black told him, only the slightest amount of smugness in her voice.  _"While we cannot lay the blame solely on your father because he left those journals and books within your reach, he did have an unintentional hand in that nightmare happening. But just like we can't blame him completely, you cannot blame yourself and yourself alone for what happened. As you have just said, Alphonse went along with you of his own free will, despite his misgivings. What I'm saying, Edward, is that you are only partly to blame for that one event and for nothing else you told us about and you are doing yourself not any one else any favours by simply taking on the blame and placing it solely on your shoulders."_

"Black is right, you know." Shiro's sudden input almost caused Black and Ed to jump. They hadn't forgotten he was there, as such, but that didn't mean they'd expected him to say anything just yet. "If we'd met only a few weeks ago, I would be the biggest hypocrite on this ship for saying this but Black is right. You should absolutely take responsibility for your mistakes and wrongdoings but only  _your_  mistakes and wrongdoings. I've been informed by a few people that the action of wanting to protect others from the potential fallout their role caused, while admirable, is also damaging to them. By stopping them from having to take responsibility and trying to make amends themselves, you're preventing them from being able to hold their own. Like with Alphonse and preventing him from taking responsibility for the transmutation. You're preventing him from making amends to you the way you've been making amends to him. One day, you won't be there to bail them out when they do something and they won't know how to handle to fallout." Shiro told him and Ed frowned. He knew this and he didn't need someone barely five years older than him telling him that.

" _Shiro's not done."_  Black said warningly when Ed was about to tell Shiro exactly what he thought about being lectured about that. Ed heeded the warning in her words and remained quiet.

"I don't doubt that you already know that." Shiro said, a brow raised pointedly at Ed. The blonde gave him a sheepish, almost smile at having been caught out. "All I'm saying is that taking complete responsibility for every bad thing that's happened that has some kind of connection to you isn't a good thing. Sometimes, the only person you can't blame is yourself, no matter how much you want too." Shiro said and Ed barely managed to cover a would-be sniffle as a soft snort.

"Sometimes the only person you can blame is yourself." Ed argued back and was slightly surprised when Shiro nodded and he felt Black hum approvingly.

"Exactly." Shiro said agreeably. He then poked Ed lightly in the sternum with a finger. " _You_  just have to get better at figuring out which situations you should have any blame in." Ed blinked up at him as the man himself stood up and stretched, groaning ad he arced his back and Ed swore he heard some bones popping. Black walked a couple steps away before stretching languidly and moaning happily when she was done. Ed was watching the Altean Lion when a metal hand appeared in front of his face suddenly, causing him to jump a little. Shiro gave him a half-smirk but wiggled his fingers invitingly. Ed rolled his eyes and grasped the offered hand with his own metal prosthetic and was promptly hauled to his feet.

" _Let's head out to breakfast before we're hunted down by an angry pride of Lions."_  Black suggested, amused with her irritated sisters pushing her to get Ed to them so they could see for themselves he was alright. Shiro shook his head at her amusement and went to move forward before realising Ed wasn't making his way to the dining area with his usual excited pace.

"Everything alright?" Shiro asked, shifting his weight a little, like he wanted to reach out but was worried about how that would be received so held himself back.

"My brain is busy trying to figure out whether to believe everything you said and I can already feel the headache I'm gonna get from Mustang's fussing but yeah, I'm alright. I just," Ed frowned before nodding sharply once and take a fortifying breath before meeting Shiro's concerned gaze, "I just wanted to say thank you. To you and Black for what you did last night and for not…" Ed trailed off here, not wanting to voice the words he was thinking but Shiro and Black got the gist.

"For not treating you like the monster you thought you were." Shiro finished for him and Ed nodded, arms coming up across his chest protectively. Once again, Shiro hesitated to do what he wanted but Black nudged him forward, mentally and physically. Decision made, he took the three steps it took to close the distance between him and Edward and engulfed the startled blonde into a tight hug.

Ed didn't have any time to try and resist or evade the hug before Shiro was on him once he'd noticed the bigger man move. He could feel Black's smug happiness at his stunned reaction but he got with the program pretty quickly and wrapped his own arms tightly around Shiro to hug him back, once he'd wriggled his trapped arms from between their chests. He buried his head into Shiro's shoulder to block out the light and the world as he let himself relish in the hug he was getting. The tight, warm, safe hug he was getting from a person he had just confessed his biggest sins to and cried on; who told him he was wrong to blame himself in a way that Ed was starting to believe him and didn't treat him any differently than he had before.

" _You can hug each other later. My sisters are seriously adamant that Edward join them now or they'll storm the library."_  Black interrupted after nearly two minutes of them just standing there. Ed was the first to pull away.

"Let's go get food before the Lions follow through on that threat." Ed grinned, punching Shiro's arm lightly, smile slightly shaky still but Shiro and Black were kind enough to ignore that as they led the way down to breakfast.

* * *

Ed followed slightly behind the Lion and her Paladin, happy to take the small token of privacy he was offered to finish pulling himself back together. He felt raw but in a surprisingly cathartic way. Apparently bearing his innermost demons to an almost stranger did his mind some good. At the very least, he felt lighter than he had since before his mother passed away. Before he knew it, the door to the dining area was coming up on his left and he stopped in his tracks before he could actually think about what he was doing. Black and Shiro stopped almost as soon as he had, Black having felt his intention and warning Shiro.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked, turning so he was face to face with the blonde. Black was seemingly unsure of what to do; shifting between looking worriedly at Edward and watching Shiro for cues. She could feel Ed's conflicting emotions and even she couldn't make heads or tails of it other than the fact that he was scared. No; it was more like he was terrified of what everyone would think if they found out what happened the previous night.

"Mustang's going to know what happened the moment I walk through that door." Ed said, looking up at Shiro. He frowned as he chewed on his bottom lip – a bad habit he's had since childhood – before answering Shiro's unasked question. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. With anyone. Not even Mustang. Not yet." Ed told him. Shiro could understand that. While Ed didn't say anything, Shiro knew he was worried the Lions might have told their Paladins what had happened. Black was quick to assure him that her sisters had sworn not to say anything to their Paladins without Ed's permission.

"Let me handle it." Shiro said, squeezing both of Ed's upper arms. Ed startled slightly because a) he hadn't seen Shiro move his hands at all and b) Shiro didn't hesitate to touch his automail. Yes, Ed knew logically Shiro – out of all of them – would have no problems touching it but it still surprised him. Ed's surprise must've been mistaken for hesitance by Shiro. "Trust me." He said, not ashamed his voice had a tinge of pleading in it. Ed didn't hesitate to nod.

Shiro nodded once, relief barely kept off his face at the fact that Ed didn't hesitate to nod when he asked him to trust him, before he turned to take the last few steps that took him to the dining room door, opened it and headed for the dining room table like nothing had happened. Ed and Black followed him without any hesitation and took their spots. Shiro could see the look Mustang gave Ed but the blonde was doing a phenomenal job at avoiding his eyes without it looking intentional.

Keith had been the first one to hear them approach. His senses had always been keener than the others, rivaling the Alteans, but nowhere near the Lions. Still, he was confused when the footsteps stopped just a few feet from the doorway and no one noticed. He would have risen from the table to investigate but Red immediately vetoed that, telling him to stay put. His hearing did pick up voices but they weren't speaking loud enough for even Keith's ears to pick up. He didn't bother warning the others when the voices stopped and Shiro strode through the door with Black and Ed in his wake, smiling at all of them. Keith immediately scruitinised the man – he could see Lance doing the same – and was relived to see that he actually looked well-rested for once. Edward looked slightly worse for wear but Keith didn't know the teenager well enough to know why.

"Did something happen last night?" Allura asked, straight to the point as soon as both men sat down at the table. Maybe Keith was imagining it but it looked like Ed's eyes had flicked in panic to Shiro for a moment.

"Black sensed I was having a nightmare last night and managed to wake me before it got too bad. Unfortunately, she woke Ed up in the process. We both knew we wouldn't be getting anymore sleep and headed for the library to do some reading. We did end up falling asleep again in there though." Shiro told them. Lance, Pidge, Hunk and the two Alteans seemed to accept this but Keith saw the look Mustang shot Ed (who ignored it) and he knew Shiro too well to believe he had a nightmare which left him to believe it was the other way around. It would explain why Edward wasn't looking as well rested as he should and why Red seemed particularly anxious to check on him.

"I'm sorry to hear you're still having nightmares, Shiro." Allura said sadly but Shiro waved off her apology.

"It's okay, Allura. It's not your fault." Shiro told her and the princess looked like, for a moment, that she wanted to push the apology but seemed to realise the lost cause it was and simply nodded.

They ate their breakfast with only small talk taking precedence at the table. The conversation mainly surrounded the movies they'd watched the previous night. Lance, Pidge and Hunk were in their element, discussing the movies and answering any questions anyone had. Keith doubted he was the only one who noticed how Ed and one of the Lions spaced out every now and then, indicating a silent conversation, and that afterwards both Ed and the Lion in question looked far more relaxed.

"Before we leave for training," Shiro's voice had them stopping from the half-rise they'd managed from their chairs when breakfast was over, "I'd hoped that Edward would be agreeable and take Keith and Hunk on for some of this mornings training session so that Brigadier-General Mustang and I would be able to train together. We haven't yet managed to have a training session with just the two of us yet." He explained and Ed shot him a suspicious look but got nothing in response.

"Yeah, we don't mind." Ed shrugged nonchalantly after a moment. "So long as they're good with training with us." Ed said, pointedly looking their way. Both Hunk and Keith nodded their agreement and Shiro beamed at them.

"Excellent. I'll get Black to send you guys a message when we're ready for you to join back up with us." Shiro told them.

It didn't take long for them to clean up after themselves and split up to the different training rooms. Ed lead the four youngest Paladins and their Lions to the secondary room while Shiro, Mustang and Black headed for the primary room. Allura had briefly pulled Shiro aside to make sure he was okay after 'his nightmare' and he'd managed to assure her he was completely fine. She'd still left to follow Coran to the bridge slightly worried about the Black Paladin.

* * *

"So," Mustang asked as they neared the doors to the primary training room, "what exactly did Fullmetal tell you about his nightmares?" Shiro didn't so much as twitch with either guilt or surprise at Mustang's question. He did feel Black's eyes on him and it took a lot of effort not to scowl at her. He still didn't understand the Lions hostility towards him though he did have some suspicions. Shiro remained quiet until they'd entered the training room and the doors had shut firmly behind them.

"I doubt he told me about every scenario his mind decides to conjure up as a nightmare but he did tell me about three of his most reoccurring ones." Shiro said, turning to face Mustang as he did so. His expression was one of smoldering fury that was barely contained. Mustang pretended not to notice.

"I believe I know which ones you're referring too. The night he was injured," Mustang raised one finger, "Nina and her pet dog," a second finger, "and the night my best friend was murdered." A third finger was raised before he dropped his hand to his side. "Am I correct?" He asked, already certain he was and his voice told them so.

"Yes." Shiro told him anyway. Mustang was quick to notice how tight his voice was and the slight lift of Black's upper lip. It was like the Lion was holding herself back from snarling. Mustang nodded like this was the answer he expected.

"So why exactly are you holding yourself back from punching me?" Mustang asked, head cocked to the side slightly. Shiro's shoulders loosened slightly but from surprise rather than him relaxing. "You are not the first person to stand in front of me after hearing something about Fullmetal, or any of my team for that matter, and have to restrain yourself from raising a hand to me." Mustang said a little tersely. "I also know you're smart enough to not be blaming me for being responsible in any way for those particular nightmares so I guess my real question is this; what perceived wrong have I done Fullmetal that you believe deserves an explanation on my behalf?" Mustang kept himself in a relaxed parade rest but subtly tugged his gloves on a little tighter.

"How could you let a kid that young join the military and force him to go on missions that have more than likely added to his nightmares? How could you blackmail him like you did?" Shiro asked, voice shaking with anger and confusion.

Mustang surprised them both when he sighed wearily and didn't bother hiding behind his usual mask of indifference. "At the time Fullmetal and his brother performed that transmutation, they were 11 and 10, respectively. I have no doubt he has already explained to you the laws we alchemists must abide by when it comes to using alchemy. The reason human transmutation is a taboo in our world is because the cost of the array is far too high. Fullmetal and Alphonse are two out of three alchemists who are known to have survived the rebound caused by the arrays failure."

"Three?" Shiro couldn't stop himself from asking and very nearly took a step back from the glare he got from Mustang.

"Yes, but I will not tell you who the third person is. Their identity has no relevance here." Mustang firm resolve had no room for argument. "I'd heard rumours for weeks before the night of the Elric brothers rebound and decided to head for their home town to try and recruit the powerful alchemist I'd been hearing about. Truth be told, I'd expected to be offering a position as a State Alchemist to the boys' father, Hohenheim. When I arrived at their home after speaking to several neighbours and being told the powerful alchemist I was looking for was, in fact, the Elric brothers, I knew immediately something horrible had happened there. The energy from the rebound hadn't completely dissipated and any alchemist worth their salt would've been able to tell that an array had failed spectacularly in that house. I entered the building, partly to see if someone was injured or dead inside and partly to find out what kind of transmutation had been attempted. Despite someone's best efforts at cleaning and disposing of the evidence, I saw the array they used and tracked the boys to their neighbour's place where Fullmetal was getting treatment for his injuries." Shiro interrupted once again.

"So, you blackmailed an injured 11-year-old into joining the military?" He demanded. Shockingly enough, Mustang didn't seem angry at the question.

"Yes. I offered him the means to be able to find a way to fix himself and his brother without worrying about money or fearing someone would find out what they'd done. In exchange for mine and my Lieutenant's silence on the array they tried using, Fullmetal agreed to enlist in the military as a State Alchemist. Under my command, he was free to research and follow leads on anything that could help him help Alphonse in between the missions I had him complete. As his commanding officer, all his accomplishments in the field would reflect on me, which in turn helped me climb the military ladder so I could realise my goal of becoming Fuhrer sooner than anticipated." Mustang told them, sounding like he was simply talking about the weather. Shiro was stunned at the way the older man was speaking about his recruiting of an 11-year-old Edward.

"Do you regret it?" Shiro asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

Mustang contemplated his answer before answering. "Some days I think I regret that I stole any possibility of Fullmetal or Alphonse having a normal childhood. But neither boy had been a child since their mother had passed away. I also can't regret the fact that everything we accomplished in the five years since Fullmetal joined the military wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't done so. That means that Father and his homunculi would have won in the end. Amestris would have been destroyed and I don't doubt for a second that our neighbouring countries and the planet as a whole would've followed soon after. What that might have meant for alternate dimensions, I don't know, but I know that Fullmetal being part of the military and learning what he did was one of the very few reasons we survived." Mustang paused here and Shiro went to ask something only to be stopped by a nudge from Black. She looked up at Mustang pointedly and Shiro followed her gaze to see the man frowning as he mulled something over. "So, to actually answer your question; no. I don't regret recruiting Fullmetal and I'll tell you right now, his answer would be the same if you asked him. I regret some of the missions I sent him on and I regret him seeing some of the things he's been forced to see but I don't regret being the person to offer him a place in the military."

Shiro and Black didn't respond to that for a few minutes. From the look on Shiro's face, he was talking to his Lion and Mustang was content with waiting for them to finish up their conversation to see if there was anything more Shiro wanted to ask.

"I can understand that. I still don't like the fact that he was a member of the military at that age but I know I can't do anything about that." Shiro said, sighing a little. Black's tail twitched where she sat and Mustang had the feeling she agreed with her pilot.

"You're not the only one to think that." Mustang told him and Shiro sighed again before any fight he had left in him seemingly vanished. The flame alchemist studied the younger man for a moment before shifting a little, moving to cross his arms in front of his chest. "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?" Shiro looked a little startled that Mustang could tell something else was wrong. "You're not the best at hiding your emotions or thoughts." He told him, not unkindly.

"How much do you know about his nightmares?" Shiro asked and Mustang hummed before he answered.

"I know what they're generally about. I know he's been having them more often than not since getting Alphonse back. I know that, despite mine and Alphonse's best efforts, he still blames himself for the events that led to his nightmares and that he believes they're his punishment for what he's done wrong in life. I know all of this because his brother has told me about it, not because Fullmetal has come to me about it." Mustang added that last part to stay the question of why he didn't do anything to help he knew would come from Shiro.

"If you know about it, why aren't you helping him?" Shiro asked and Mustang sighed.

"Fullmetal has spent the five years he's been under my command refusing to ask for my help with anything. If he could do it himself or with his brother's help, no matter the consequences to himself, he did so before asking me for help. Alphonse has told me it was because his brother didn't want to be seen as someone who couldn't look after himself without help. Of course, there were times where he had no choice but to ask for help from someone but I was still one of the last few people he'd ask." Mustang explained. From the look on Shiro's face, he didn't get where Mustang was going with this explanation. "Fullmetal has not come to me of his own accord to tell me just how bad his nightmares are. I know first hand he has them because he's woken me up with them on the rare occasion we've been sleeping in the same room as each other but he still hasn't told me just how bad they are. If I went to him and told him his brother and I are worried about how bad his nightmares are getting, not only would he be mortified I knew, but it would cause problems between him and his brother and it would crumble any of the trust he and I have built in the past few months. It would just worsen the situation." Mustang told them, causing Shiro to frown.

"How?" He asked. Mustang noted the curious expression on Black's face.

"Because he's stubborn. The first thing he'd do is deny everything and no matter how hard I try, I wouldn't be able to get him to tell me anything more than I already know. By causing a problem between him and Alphonse, he'd stop telling Al about the nightmares and keep his problems to himself instead of getting the small amount of help he had been getting. He's also be wary about talking to anyone else about them so he'd keep them to himself." Mustang told them and could see the moment it clicked for Shiro and Black. "Fullmetal needs to be the one to reach out to me for help rather than me confronting him. He knows I know he has nightmares and I suspect he's figured out that Alphonse has said something to me but he doesn't know for sure. Honestly, the fact that he told you and Black about them is one of the best things I've heard lately because it means he might start reaching for help sooner." Mustang allowed himself to give Shiro a small smile in thanks before schooling his features once again. "Now, what else did you want to ask me?" Shiro didn't bother looking surprised but Mustang could see the amusement in Black's features and surmised that Shiro had felt some annoyance at not being able to hide his curiousity once again.

What did surprise Mustang was the hesitancy Shiro displayed before he could steel himself enough to ask the question. "How did no one notice what Tucker had done before he managed to do what he did to his daughter?" Shiro watched as Mustang's face fell into a pained expression before he managed to force his face back into its usual expression.

"Tucker had always come across as devoted to his studies and his daughter. The story about his wife was just detailed enough that people didn't go digging but wasn't so detailed that he could accidentally mess up his lies and get caught. He came across as a kind-hearted, soft-spoken person who wasn't dangerous in the slightest. My team and I never had any suspicions about him or what he'd done." He could see that Shiro was struggling to accept what he was saying. "You need to remember that our only advantage over your world in our alchemy. We don't have cell phones or the internet. From what I've been told by the people we met in our previous dimensional travels, we're at least 100 years behind your world, in terms of technology anyway. It means that people not being able to contact Tucker's wife wouldn't have raised anyone's suspicions unless they had a reason to believe she'd come to any harm and Tucker never gave anyone a reason."

"Didn't anyone try to find his wife? Her friends or family never tried?" Shiro asked and Mustang shook his head.

"I don't know what to tell you, Shiro. In our country, you can walk out of your home and disappear for years at a time and no one will do more than speculate what you're doing. It's not a rare thing to happen and, like I said, no one batted an eye unless there was a reason." Mustang told him. "There is also the fact that we did have a homunculous in charge of our country. Chances are that even if someone raised any concerns about her, he would have ordered them not to worry about it. I've never told Fullmetal this but I believe the homunculous in charge of our country had known about Tucker and what he'd done but left him alone so he could steal his notes or use the alchemist himself for his own needs." Mustang confided to Shiro.

"What makes you think he would do that?" Shiro would admit his morbid curiousity was getting the best of him.

"Because another homunculous had some followers who were also chimeras. The difference between them and the chimeras Tucker created was that these chimeras were far more human in appearance and they volunteered for the transmutation." Mustang told him. Shiro flinched as he imagined the kind of person who volunteer for that sort of thing. "The homunculi couldn't perform alchemy themselves and they couldn't use the stone that gave them life for anything other than their own abilities or to heal themselves. To create a chimera, especially a part human one, they would've needed an alchemist who was capable of performing the array successfully  _and_  didn't care about the human ingredient. Tucker had shown he could do both and not raise suspicion from anyone, even when the human ingredient was someone so close to him." Shiro frowned as something occurred to him.

"Edward told me that he did what he did to Nina because he was desperate to pass his assessment so he could keep his title. If he was working for the homunculous in charge of the military, why didn't he just ensure Tucker passed?" Shiro asked and Mustang shrugged a shoulder.

"There could be any number of reasons why. Maybe Tucker displeased him in someway or threatened to reveal something. Maybe the Fuhrer decided he no longer had any use for him and left him to struggle by himself. Maybe the Fuhrer didn't feel like ensuring him his title, despite whatever he presented for his assessment. It's also possible that part of their deal was that Tucker would get no help in keeping his title and believed that if he lost his title, the Fuhrer would have him killed so he wouldn't reveal what they'd been up to in an attempt to keep his title and the benefits that came with it." Mustang shrugged once more. "This is all theory, mind you. There was no evidence in Tucker's notes to support it and with both Tucker and the Fuhrer dead, no one can ask them. I just don't believe that there was another alchemist out there that had the knowledge, power and lack of conscience to make a human chimera."

Shiro let Mustang's words mull over in his head and could see where he was coming from. Black had to admit as well that it seemed a bit far-fetched that there was another alchemist like Tucker out there. At least, she sincerely hoped there wasn't another one like him on the loose. Shiro stayed silent for a minute longer before nodding to himself and looking back at Mustang. "I'm sorry for accusing you of not caring for or helping Edward. I can see now that you did the best you could with the circumstances you were given."

Mustang had to admit that the apology took him by surprise, having not expected one. "Don't worry about it. For the record, I'm glad to see that you care enough about him to have confronted me like this."

"Why?" Shiro asked even though he was sure he knew the kind of answer he'd get.

"Because now I know that you will fight to protect him as much as you would your fellow teammates during the upcoming battle." Mustang told him and Shiro felt a small spark of victory at being proven right. Mustang moved further into the training room before looking back at the Paladin and his Lion. "Now shall we get to our training?" He asked, brow raising in question even as his lips curled into a small smirk that Shiro returned. Black huffed in amusement as she and her pilot moved to join Mustang, Shiro calling out for the room to activate the appropriate level as he drew level with his teammate.

* * *

Black was laying to the side while watching her pilot and Mustang working through a new level with the gladiators. She hadn't been happy when they asked her to step aside for a few levels but she'd done as she was asked. She took the time to think about the conversation her Paladin and the flame alchemist had had once they'd entered the training room. It was obvious that Mustang did care for Edward but in his own way. He didn't show it out right and Black felt a little sad for Edward about that. If anyone deserved to know how much someone cared for them, it was Edward. But, she figured, it would probably be worse for them if the military did know how much Mustang cared for his youngest subordinate. Not to mention the trouble Edward would attract from Mustang's enemies if they figured out the older alchemist really did care for Edward, beyond what was professionally acceptable.

Just as she thought that, the gladiators froze before their eyes dimmed and the floor opened to pull them down. Mustang and Shiro both froze when the gladiators did and straightened up, confused, when the gladiators disappeared. Their confusion disappeared when Allura's voice sounded over the speakers. "Could everyone please make their way to the bridge? There has been an important development that requires your immediate attention." The seriousness of her tone made it so that neither man nor Lion hesitated in their movement for the door.

They'd made it part way to the bridge when Black perked up and looked behind her excitedly. It didn't take long for them to see the cause for her interest come around a corner. "Hey, Black! Were you bored with those two?" Edward called as soon as he felt her looking at him.

" _So bored. They made me sit out of the last couple of rounds."_  Black complained, though her grin betrayed her lack of annoyance.

"Oh no, how did you survive?" Ed asked sarcastically, causing Black to hip check him once he drew level with them. Ed grinned as he regained his balance and knocked back against her in retaliation. "So, does anyone have any idea about what's going on?" Ed asked, looking up at Shiro and Mustang.

"No clue." Shiro said and Mustang shrugged.

"I've got my fingers crossed that Zarkon's ship blew up and took out the entire Galran army so we won't have to fight them." Lance said wistfully.

"I think that's a bit of a long shot, Lance." Shiro informed him though his tone did say that he kinda hoped the blue pilot was right.

"Hey, a man can dream." Lance told him and Blue nodded emphatically. Ed grinned but Mustang piped up before he could say something.

"Unlikely. Fullmetal is the only person I know who can cause explosions of the magnitude required to achieve that and he's been on this ship the entire time." He said before gracefully dodging the elbow aimed at his guts.

"Oh, fuck off, Mustang. You're just jealous I can blow shit up better than your fire alchemy can." Ed snapped at him. Hunk bravely stepped in between the two alchemists before a fight could break out. After what they saw in the training room, they didn't need a repeat showing in the hallway.

"How about we head to the bridge and find out?" Hunk suggested, a touch nervously but relaxed when Ed grinned at him.

"Sure thing. I doubt Miss Allura would be happy to learn we had to detour to the medical bay so that Mustang could get patched up." Mustang rolled his eyes.

"As if I'd be the one needing medical attention." He couldn't help the dig and was rewarded with the most disbelieving scoff he'd ever heard.

"Keep dreaming, bastard." Shiro shook his head before grabbing Ed's sleeve and tugging on it pointedly. "Right. Let's find out what Miss Allura wants us for."

Shiro led the way to the bridge and was happy to stay silent so he could listen to the chatter and light-hearted banter behind him. He could feel Black's happiness with the team behind them and Shiro found himself suddenly grateful to Truth for sending them Edward and Mustang and he was beyond grateful that both alchemists agreed to stay to help them. They entered the bridge shortly after this revelation and saw both Alteans standing anxiously next to the console they used to receive and send messages to allies and planets who've sent distress signals.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked immediately upon seeing Allura's face. Coran lightly squeezed her upper arm, a gesture she responded by lightly patting his hand before facing them.

"The planet we've primarily been in contact with has been attacked by Zarkon's forces. The inhabitants barely made it out in time but only because Zarkon was not focused on keeping them as slaves or prisoners but the Galrans have gained control of the planet and all of its resources." Allura told them and waited for that to sink in before moving on. "The inhabitants made it to a neighbouring planet who have, thankfully, agreed to house them until we are able to liberate their home planet. However, the Galran taking over this planet has thrown a new wrinkle in our plans." Allura sighed, sagging a little under the invisible weight on her shoulders.

"What wrinkle?" Pidge asked, frowning as she leant forward on the console she seated at.

"The Galran will only stay at this planet until they are sure they have complete control over it. Since no prisoners were taken, they'll face no resistance. We can't bet on them being interested in another planet in this sector since none of the reports we've received have said anything about the surrounding planets gaining any attention from the Galrans. We have to assume they've gotten what they want and will be preparing to leave this sector shortly." Allura told them and every single person realised what this meant.

"How long to you think we'll have before they pack up to leave?" Edward asked and Allura shrugged one shoulder.

"It's hard to say for certain considering they won't face resistance on the planet they've taken but I can't see them staying in this sector for more than a quintet, if we're lucky." Allura sighed once more before continuing. "We picked up speed as soon as we received the message and have made up considerable time but we are still more than half a quintet away. We can move faster but I needed you to know so I can ask this; would each of you be confident facing Haggar and Zarkon in battle sooner than anticipated?" She made sure to look at each of them in turn, Lions included.

The silence that followed her question was palpable. No one wanted to be the first to answer and, upon looking around, Ed could see that more than a couple of them were scared. Taking a deep breath, Ed nodded, drawing the princess's attention. "I am." He said, voice steady and assured in his readiness.

"As am I." Mustang said, standing steady.

"Me too." Keith told them. Pidge, Lance and Hunk all nodded.

"We are, as well." Lance said, speaking for the three of them.

" _We're all prepared to do what's needed to achieve Alfor's final goal."_  Black said on behalf of her sisters, speaking directly to everyone bar Mustang and Coran. That left one person.

"I can't say I'm thrilled with the idea of going against Zarkon and Haggar sooner than anticipated," Shiro said before taking a step forward, "but I'm good with ending this war sooner than we thought." Allura didn't bother hiding the relief she felt at those words.

"Team leaders? Do you think your team – as a whole – will be ready in time?" She asked, her previous relief vanishing as she waited for Edward and Shiro's responses.

"Absolutely, Allura." Shiro said immediately and the princess's eyes turned to Edward.

"I have every confidence my team could kick Haggar's witchy arse right now, if you let us." He said, causing Lance and Pidge to laugh while Mustang looked like he was debating backhanding him. Allura just looked thankful

"Thank you." Her voice nearly broke with the amount of gratitude she felt. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself once again before turning to her adviser. "Coran, please hasten our speed. We need to reach Zarkon as soon as we can. Let's aim to get to our planned position in four vargas." She ordered.

"Yes, Princess." Coran moved immediately to the appropriate console while Allura turned back to the others.

"We know have four vargas to finalise all of our preparation." Allura said before her eyes flicked over to Pidge and Hunk. "Is the pod ready to be used to help Edward scan Zarkon's ship?" Pidge immediately whipped out her tablet and she and Hunk poured over it for a few moments.

"Not yet but it can be if Hunk and I can work on it for the remaining vargas." Pidge told her after a whispered conversation with Hunk. Allura nodded.

"Get to it." They didn't need to be told twice and immediately left the bridge to get started, their Lions following behind dutifully. Allura turned to the others. "I'd appreciate the rest of you joining me in the briefing room and helping adjust and finalise our battle strategy." Lance looked startled at this.

"Even me?" He asked but from the look on his face, he really hadn't meant to. Before he could backtrack, Allura answered him.

"Even you, Lance. Your unusual look on things and your eye as our sharpshooter will be invaluable to our planning. You'll look at things differently to us and will see things we would otherwise miss. Your help with the planning will be more helpful than you could imagine." She told him, voice warm and honest and Lance's cheeks flushed slightly but no one called him out on it.

"Then lead the way, Princess." Shiro said before she did just that, everyone readily following her out, confidant they could come up with a plan despite their timeline moving up so quickly. In four vargas, the final piece needed for their planning would be presented and shortly after Edward returned with Zarkon's ships blueprints, they'd be going up against Haggar and Zarkon themselves. They had a lot of work to do in the meantime.


	14. Chapter 14

Green, Yellow, Pidge and Hunk all walked into the briefing room, announcing they were finished with the pod and it could be taken out any time. Allura looked up at their entrance and seemed to drain of at least a quarter of the tension she was holding. "Excellent. Thank you, Pidge, Hunk." She said gratefully before looking at everyone else. "If you are able to, I'd really appreciate it if you could gather that data now, Edward. Lance and Keith will be accompanying you." She requested and Ed looked at the two aforementioned Paladins.

"No time like the present. What do the two of you think?" He asked.

"No complaints here." Lance said while Keith just nodded. Both of their Lions looked annoyed.

" _There's no way either of us will fit in the pod with the three of you. I don't like the idea of you guys going near the Galran army without any Lion nearby."_  Blue admitted when Ed asked her what the problem was.

" _Both of our Paladins have a history of getting hurt or becoming reckless. From what we know about you, you're just as bad as either of them. I'm with Blue on this. One of us should be going with you."_  Red grumbled, causing Keith to make an offended noise. Red looked at him, daring him to argue, but Keith knew she had a point.

"I don't know what you can do about it." Ed said, honestly. "You just admitted neither of you would fit in the pod and neither of you have the cloaking thingy Pidge installed in the pod because if you did, we'd probably be using one of you for this scouting mission. You can't just go into your robotic form and follow us because you'll expose us and, honestly, our plan hinges on taking them by surprise so we don't have to fight as many on our way into the ship." Ed pointed everything out to them and, judging from the groans, they knew he was right.

" _We know. That's why we hate it."_  Red muttered, huffing a little when Ed rubbed behind one of her ears. Keith copied him almost immediately and Red made a show of getting out of their affectionate clutches.  _"You can leave now before I change my mind and sit on the both of you."_  The only response to that was the laughter from both Ed and Keith as they stood up from the Lion.

Lance only held them up for a moment to say goodbye to Blue who in turn demanded a goodbye from Edward or she would hunt them both down. Ed relented and gave her a scratch goodbye before the three of them left the room with Pidge and Green, who had been asked by Allura to escort them and explain the improvements to the pod and how to use them. Ed noted that Mustang made some sort of movement like he was going to follow him but stopped himself last second. He gave the older alchemist a questioning look but Mustang just shook his head. Ed shrugged and kept following the others.

* * *

Mustang watched as they left and couldn't help the worried feeling growing in his chest. Every time he let that kid out of his sight for a mission, he always got hurt and he was at the point where he was considering finding a way to convince Ed to be chained to a desk like he was, where the most danger he faced was a papercut. He'd talked to him soon after Alphonse had woken up and Ed had been fitted with his new arm about quitting the military or at least turn into a research alchemist, like Doctor Marcoh, rather than a combat alchemist but Ed just shook his head, made a quip about him and sitting still for too long not being good and left to go back to Al. That had been the end of the whole conversation but Mustang still considered ways he could try to bring it up again.

* * *

Ed didn't mull over Mustang's weirdness for too long after they made it to the main hangar, the same one Black had flown him to when he first met her. Pidge directed them to a separate room so they could change into their armour. Ed was loaned a spare set of armour that Lance explained would shrink or grow to fit his shape and build. It wasn't accented with a colour like the others but Ed was more fascinated with the technology behind the armour. He felt a sense of something like vindication when the armour didn't have to shrink to fit his height, only shrinking to mould itself to his build.

When they emerged from the room, they found that Pidge already had the pod set up ready to be flown straight out once started. She was standing nearby and waved them over before nearly pushing them to climb in. Once the three guys got themselves settled, Pidge leaned over so she could point out the things she'd improved.

"So, this pod's been equipped with a cloak like Green's and I've installed a scrambler for everything in this pod that gives off a signal that could be detected by the Galran." She told them before pointing at a switch. "That's the switch to activate the scrambler. While you're within the shield that's acting as the Castle-ship's scrambler, you don't need it. Switch it on though the moment you're out of range." She warned them before moving on. "This button here engages the cloak. However, there is a catch." She told them after pointing out the button. "It will only hold for one hour or if the pod is hit by something while the cloak is engaged. If that happens, you will have two minutes to get out of sight before the cloak fails." She warned them.

"Thanks, Pidgey." Lance grinned at her. Pidge shot him a grin, eyes glinting excitedly.

"That's not all. I haven't told you the best part yet." She was practically bouncing where she stood. "I went over the readings from both training rooms so I could study the energy Ed and Mustang use for their alchemy. I haven't had a chance to test this yet but if you push this button," she leaned into the pod until she was practically on Keith's lap and tapped a button well within Lance and Ed's reach, "it should hide the readings created by Ed's alchemy without it interfering with his alchemy." She grinned even wider at the looks on their faces.

"Pidge, that is amazing." Ed said, once he picked his jaw back up off the ground.

"I know." Pidge told them before she turned serious. "Like I said though, I haven't tested it so I don't know for certain if it works. Press the button just before Ed uses his alchemy and press it again to disengage it. If it does interfere with your alchemy, you can just switch it off again. Let me know when you get back if you feel anything so I can try and fix it." She told Ed, who nodded in response.

"I will do." He assured her and she accepted the assurance with a grin before stepping away.

"You better." She pointed a finger threateningly. "You better get going before Allura comes down here to find out why you haven't left yet." She told them.

With a final goodbye, Keith closed the pod door and prepared the pod for flight. Lance gave him a hand reaching the few buttons he was closer to than the Red Paladin. Ed watched them and, in what seemed like no time, the pod was hovering as Lance requested the hangar door to be opened. The moment it opened wide enough, Keith guided the pod forward through the door and Ed couldn't stop the gasp he let out at the sight in front of him.

"Trust me when I say this but you never get used to this sort of sight." Lance told him, grinning at the younger boy.

"I'm not surprised to hear that." Edward huffed, laughing slightly.

" _How is everything going, Paladins?"_  Allura's voice sounded in all of their helmets, something that caused Ed to jump a little at the sudden noise.

"It's just the comm link in our helmets so we can talk to the Castle." Lance told him as Keith answered the princess.

"Everything's good on our end. We've engaged the scrambler and are making good time. I estimate we'll be in view of the Galran ships in less than ten dobashes. We'll engage the cloak shortly." Keith reported back.

" _Understood. We'll stay off comms on our end. Report in once you've completed the mission and are safe from the Galrans."_  Allura ordered.

"Yes, Princess." Keith said. "We're going radio-silent. We'll contact you once we're clear." Keith told her, waited for her acknowledgement then turned his comm off. Lance did the same and instructed Ed how to turn his off.

"How are you holding up, Ed?" Lance asked and Ed didn't miss the concerned glance Keith gave him before he focused back on piloting the pod.

"I think I'm doing okay." He said, voice holding only the slightest of shakes as he tried to comprehend everything he was seeing. He knew that if Black hadn't already given him a taste on that first day and he hadn't witnessed the Paladins training the afternoon they wormholed, he'd probably be hard pressed to take this flight as well as he was, even if he was currently trembling slightly and his brain was somewhere between going full speed to process everything and at a complete standstill over what he was seeing.

The one thing he couldn't get over was how colourful space was. Every astrologist in Amestris agreed that space was dark. With no light came no colour. Ed knew his time studying different things in the short time he and Mustang were on Earth gave him a leg up in seeing just how far behind Amestris was in everything except alchemy. Their scientists were right because they didn't have access to the technology that would prove or disprove their theories. They could only go off what made scientific sense. Hence; space was dark because there was an absence of light.

* * *

Lance wanted to find out exactly what Ed was thinking so he could possibly try and help but he made himself stay silent so the blonde could take in the sight in front of him at his own pace. He remembered the first time he got to see space (aside from that first trip in Blue with the others). It was after they'd successfully found and rescued Yellow and she claimed Hunk as her pilot. He and Hunk had flown side by side and there was a good 15 minutes where neither of them had said a word because the fact that they were in space, in giant mechanical Lion ships, taking orders from an alien space princess so they could win a space war hit them both like a ton of bricks. Lance had been completely lost in the magnitude of everything and the unbelievable sight in front of him, only broken out of it and his thoughts when Hunk had said a soft 'holy shit'. Lance had quipped back a line about him washing his mouth out but the spell had been broken and everything he was feeling got pushed aside until they were able to go to bed. Then he'd had a break down, cried, pulled himself together and buried the feeling of being overwhelmed deep down. Only Blue was privy to those thoughts now.

"I'm engaging the cloaking now. We're a minute out and there'll probably be scouts." Keith's voice broke the silence. The two other passengers hadn't realised that so much time had passed and watched as Keith pressed the button Pidge pointed out to them and waited for something. There was a small sigh of relief when he saw what he needed too. "Cloak engaged." He told them.

"Pidgey never fails." Lance grinned at Ed, like he was sharing a secret. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Ed, how close to the ship do you need to be?" Keith asked. Ed thought it over.

"I just need an unobstructed view of it. No planets or other ships in the way if we can manage it." Never did Edward think he'd have to tell someone they had to make sure there wasn't a planet in his way when he activated this array. His life had officially gotten weirder. Keith nodded his understanding and they banked to the left to get around a small moon, staying close but far enough to keep out of its gravitational pull. Ed gasped at the sight before him.

Zarkon's ship was easy to spot since it was the biggest ship there but there were dozens of ships that were only slightly smaller surrounding it and the planet that Ed assumed they'd recently conquered. Hundreds of smaller ships, similar is size to the pod they were in, if not a little bigger, were zipping around the area. Small teams of them were patrolling every planet and moon so no threats could come from the inhabitants of the neighbouring planets and other small teams patrolled the area. Keith tucked under one such patrol and kept the pod on a steady path towards Zarkon's ship.

"There." Lance pointed to a random area after a few moments. "Ed should have a completely unobstructed view and the patrols don't seem to be going through there. Probably because they've got the area there surrounded so nothing would be able to get in there without them seeing it." Lance told them. Keith looked at him for a moment before nodding and guiding the pod to the indicated spot.

"Nice catch, Lance." Keith praised. Ed caught the look of surprise on Lance's face and his flushed cheeks. Lance didn't get the chance to make a witty comment back because Keith had positioned the pod and turned to Ed. "While you're scanning the ship, Lance and I will be on weapons and look out. Let us know when you're ready so we can turn on the energy blocker Pidge installed." He instructed and Ed nodded.

Ed closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath in. He focused on the array he needed and drew his hands together to clap, waiting until he'd gathered enough alchemic energy, or quintessence, to start the array. Ed had discovered soon after his visit with Truth that he still needed to clap for the arrays that exchanged energy for something, like his tracking array. So, he brought his hands up in preparation, waited for a few moments before nodding to Lance. Hearing the confirmation Lance gave him had him bringing his hands together and the unique clapping sound he made when activated an array rang through the pod. Pulling his hands apart, he opened his eyes and pushed the gathered energy outwards towards the ship.

* * *

Keith couldn't stop the flinch when he saw Ed's eyes open and glow electric blue. Lance didn't make a move, having witnessed this particular array in effect earlier when they were tracking Blue when Mustang showed up. They watched as Ed's brow furrowed in concentration, neither of them making a sound so they didn't distract him. Since he hadn't said anything about it, both Paladins assumed the energy blocker Pidge installed wasn't affecting the blonde's array. Pidge would be happy.

A slight gasp escaped Ed's lips and both Paladins were immediately on alert, one eye each on the alchemist and the other scanning the area for danger. Ed's brow furrowed even more and they could both see the beads of sweat building on his forehead. Neither touched him to try and stop him – no matter how much they wanted to – because they'd been warned beforehand to not try that. Ed's fingers twitched and splayed a little more as he did whatever it was he was doing and all the Paladins could do was watch and wait.

Ed felt the moment his energy collided with a barrier made from completely foreign energy. Something on that ship was trying to block his alchemy from reaching its goal but it wasn't doing a very good job. It only took a small amount of extra energy to push through the weak barrier and soon Ed's energy was sweeping over the whole ship, taking in every single person, room, crack and crevice the ship had. He could still feel the foreign energy trying to attack his, whether to stop it or to figure it out he wasn't sure, but he knew he needed to finish this sooner rather than later. He could tell this energy was dark, darker than the energy from a twisted stone, and he knew he didn't want it anywhere near him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the ship had been warded against these sorts of attacks but that the person who'd warded the ship had never come across alchemic energy used the way Ed used it. The wards had been insufficient, obviously, and now Ed was moving as quick as he could so his energy wasn't there long enough for Haggar or her lackies to try anything to it.

The second he felt the energy reach the end of the ship and start spreading through the space beyond it, he stopped the transmutation. The effect was immediate. Despite having the quintessence readily available and in abundance to his needs, Ed still had used a lot of energy, especially when he had had to gather extra energy up to use as a battering ram to get through the barrier. He leaned over as far forward as he could as he heaved in as much air as he could in order to slow down his heart rate. He felt hands on his shoulder, his arm, and was vaguely aware of voices on either side of him. Right now they were muffled, like he was underwater, but with every breath he took that was steadier than the last, the voices started to clear up more and he could make out the words.

"I'm okay. I'm alright." He tried to assure the two Paladins and heard two distinct scoffs of disbelief. When he finally managed to get his breathing under control, he sat up straighter and just in time too. "Keith!" He yelped, looking at the Galran patrol rapidly approaching them.

It was obvious they couldn't see them because they weren't slowing down to avoid a collision. Keith swore as he leapt for the controls and sent them on a hard bank to the right, causing the pod to nearly flip completely on its side to avoid the three Galran fighters. Keith righted the pod and the three of them sat there as the adrenaline flooded their systems.

"Maybe we should get out of here before we talk." Lance suggested. The other two made no arguments as Keith swung the pod around and they zoomed out of the Galrans sight and headed back for the Castle-ship.

* * *

Ed could feel their gazes flicking to him more often than not and he sighed through his nose. "I am fine. I used a lot of energy, despite how much is available to me out here, and it left me drained but I've already started replacing that energy again and I'm now fine. It was just like what happened when I finished activating the Lion's transformation arrays." Ed said, looking at Keith who had been the only Paladin there to witness that.

"Are you sure?" Lance couldn't help but ask. Ed looked up at him, a tad annoyed but that annoyance faded when he saw the unadulterated concern on the brunette's face.

"I promise. By the time we get back to the ship, it'll be like nothing happened." Ed promised and Lance seemed to accept it. "Speaking of the ship, we should probably contact them." Ed smoothly changed the subject.

"Probably a good idea." Lance agreed, talking Ed through switching his comms back on even as he turned his own on. "This is your favourite Blue Paladin and sharpshooter requesting some quality time with Princess Allura." Ed snorted violently.

"Fuck, didn't think I'd meet someone worse than Mustang." Ed said dryly and Lance gave him a betrayed look.

" _I heard that, Fullmetal."_  Mustang's voice sounded in their helmets, causing Ed to smirk.

"Your point?" He asked snippily.

" _It's good to hear from you so quickly. I'm assuming the mission was a success?"_  Allura asked before Mustang could hijack the comms again.

"Yes, Allura. We're heading back to the Castle now. Should be there shortly. We'll switch our cloak off so you can see us approach." Keith told her, ever the professional. Lance and Ed shared a look and Lance rolled his eyes, forcing Ed to stifle a giggle.

" _Fullmetal, report on your condition."_  Mustang ordered through the comms. Ed rolled his eyes before answering.

"I'm fine. Used a lot more energy than I was prepared for. The ship was warded against alchemy and magic but the warder obviously hadn't faced my specific alchemy before so I was able to get passed it with an extra hard shove. I'm good now though. The amount of quintessence around me has helped me replace my depleted energy far quicker than back home. I'll be back to full strength before we get back to the ship." Ed told him, secretly happy that Mustang didn't hide his concern for his well-being.

" _We'll need to discuss that further when you're back. The ship wasn't warded when I last faced the witch. I would've sensed it."_  Allura sounded concerned.

"We'll be visible to you guys in about three dobashes. We'll turn our signal scrambler off just before so the ship will let us pass the forcefield." Keith told her and she voiced her confirmation before the comms went silent again.

* * *

The few short minutes it took to get back to the Castle-ship were uneventful. Keith said the ship had moved a great deal from when they left it, aiming to hide behind the densest planet as planned and Ed was surprised to see just how much distance the ship had made considering they were gone for all of half an hour. He kept his surprise to himself, lest Coran overhears his observations and launches into an explanation. He loved the science and general learning because knowledge is always good but the orange-haired alien more often than not got side-tracked and implemented reference to his home planet that left Ed more confused than before. He resolved to just ask Pidge about it when he got the chance.

They deboarded the pod once Keith had successfully docked it and headed for the small change room Pidge had herded them into before they left so they could strip out of their uniforms and change back into their regular clothes before heading back up to the bridge for the debrief. Blue and Red were waiting for them outside the door and tackled their respective Paladins to the floor the moment they cleared the doorway. Both Paladins made an indignant noise and protested the treatment, though everyone could see how half-hearted it was, while Ed cackled where he stood, nearly doubled over in laughter.

" _I don't know why you're laughing, young alchemist."_  Blue said, immediately making Ed suspicious and alert of his surroundings. Not quick enough though to prepare himself for both Blue and Red tackling him to the ground – Ed letting out a surprised yelp – so all three of the humans were on the ground.

"You two suck." Ed groaned under the weight of the two Lions and a quick glance confirmed the Lions had draped themselves over their Paladins as well so all three were successfully pinned to the ground. The Lions looked very smug about it.

"Are you gonna let us up so we can brief Allura?" Lance wheezed from under Blue and the Lion contemplated the request for a moment before looking at Red for her input.

" _The princess would be angry if we delayed them any longer."_  Red told her and Blue sighed.

" _Yes, I know."_  She said.

" _If we get off them, we can fight Zarkon and Haggar quicker which means we'd be able to smother them sooner."_  Red pointed out and Ed groaned as Blue hummed thoughtfully.

" _You're right."_  Blue declared, heaving herself off Lance and Ed while Red gracefully stood as well. The humans all heaved in a breath to prove to their lungs that they were no longer being smooshed.  _"I'll smother you after the fight."_  Blue promised both Lance and Ed, both of whom baulked at the affectionate threat.

"Not sure if my ribs will appreciate that, beautiful. How about some intense cuddling instead?" Lance asked, gasping slightly.

"I'm with Lance on this." Ed said as he massaged his sides to get the blood flowing again. Ed felt Red's own threats of affection towards Keith and a quick glance to the Lion told him he should expect a similar talk in his immediate future. "Let's go find the others so I can do this memory thingy." Ed suggested, hoping to delay the inevitable talk with Red. The aforementioned Lion narrowed her eyes at him and he knew he'd been caught out but she just huffed and took a few steps in the direction of the bridge before looking back with a 'well?' look that had everyone bar Blue scrambling to their feet.

"Welcome back." Allura greeted the moment they stepped through the door Red had led them through. They weren't overly surprised to find themselves in the briefing room or, as it was now dubbed, the war room. Everyone bar Coran was present though, when he inquired, Ed was told he'd be along shortly. "Edward, would you tell me more about this warding while we wait?" She requested as Ed sat himself on a stool next to Mustang.

"Sure." He agreed, scratching Yellow's ears when she came over to say hello before being nudged out of the way by Green, who demanded some affection that Ed happily gave as he started talking. "I sensed it just before the energy the tracking array was using hit it. At first, I thought it was a forcefield, like what the Castle is surrounded by and expected no resistance but it stopped the energy in its tracks and caused the field to, flare, I guess? It had some symbols on it but I didn't take much notice of them because I was more worried that the energy hitting the shield would alert the person who constructed it." He told Allura, a little apologetic.

"Understandable. Hopefully your memory shows the symbols when we display it. Please continue." She requested and Ed nodded.

"Right. So, I gathered more energy and used it as a battering ram to break through the shielding. Like I said before the shield wasn't made with my specific energy in mind so it couldn't stop it as effectively as, say, your alchemy might've been stopped, Miss Allura." He said and went to continue talking when Allura frowned a little. She noticed his look when she glanced up to see why he hadn't continued his story.

"Why do you think my alchemy would've been stopped when yours hadn't been?" She asked. Ed paused for a moment before he spoke to try and figure out how to explain it. Pidge beat him to the punch.

"Oh! It's because your alchemies are different, right?" She asked and Ed nodded.

"But it's still alchemy." The princess pointed out and Pidge shook her head.

"Yes, but the differences between your alchemy and Edward's is enough that a shield designed to stop your alchemy might not stop his, if the person hadn't taken his alchemy into consideration when they made the wards." She explained but the slight confusion didn't leave Allura's face. "Okay, think about it like this. You can sense all of the Lions, right?" Pidge asked and Allura nodded. "Okay. If you didn't want to sense them or didn't want them to sense you, you can block them, right?" Again, Allura nodded. "I thought so. Now, imagine you knew about all of the Lions except for Green. You've put up your shield to block the four Lions you do know about from being able to sense you. Then you've suddenly got Green's presence pressing against your shield and she breaks through because you didn't know about her when you constructed your shield. Yes, she's similar to the other Lions enough that your shield prevented her from immediately getting access to your mind but she was also different enough that your shield wasn't strong enough to completely stop her from breaking through it." Realisation dawned on Allura's face.

"Oh yes, I understand now. I apologise for interrupting your story once again, Edward." Allura dipped her head but Ed waved the apology off.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Allura. I've had to explain simpler things to Mustang before." He told her, ignoring the indignant spluttering coming from the man next to him. "So, as I was saying, I was able to break through the shielding without much issue. I scanned the entirety of the ship as quickly as I could because I could feel the same energy powering the shield trying to figure my energy out. But I think I definitely located Haggar and Zarkon." He told them.

"How are you certain?" Allura asked. The confidence in his voice had her a little worried, if she was being honest. She'd learnt while she was following her father to his meetings and other royal duties to learn what was expected of her once she ascended to the throne that those who were as confident as Ed had sounded were more likely to be proven wrong.

"My array tracks life energy, remember? So, I was able to see every single soul aboard that ship. The vast majority were the same colour but there were a few different colours, I'm assuming prisoners or alien mercenaries who've joined the Galrans side. However, there were two distinct signatures that stood out from the rest." He explained.

"How?" Hunk asked before he could stop himself. Ed glanced at him with an almost approving look before answering.

"Because their energy was dark and twisted." Ed told them somberly. "Normally, I can't sense much more than the colour someone's life energy is but with them, I could  _feel_  the darkness in them." He shuddered lightly before he could stop himself. Mustang immediately clasped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed.

"You alright?" He asked, voice concerned.

"Course I am." Ed said though he didn't remove Mustang's arm. "You know, until I saw their energy, I didn't really believe you guys when you described them to me but I do now. Neither of them would be able to be talked down or persuaded to stop their assault. If they were humans, I'd say they'd lost all of their humanity." Ed told them and his description of their enemies' energy had them pause.

Of course, they all knew Zarkon and Haggar were evil. Especially Haggar, given what Shiro said to them when they first discussed his arm and captivity. But to hear Edward tell them that, that there was absolutely no hope, not even an infinitely tiny scrap of hope, of them ending this war without violence, that took them by surprise.

"So, you have no doubts this will end in a fight to the death?" Mustang asked and felt Ed flinch against him. Despite his years in the military, he knew Harding's death still weighed heavily on Edward. It didn't matter how many times Mustang had pointed out that there was no other way of stopping Harding after the unfortunate rebound, it didn't seem to help. Mustang knew Ed knew Harding's death was unavoidable but the hang up wasn't him dying, it was that Edward had a direct hand in it. So the decision to kill another being, no matter how evil said being was, wasn't a decision he wanted Edward to have ever had to make but there was no way around it.

"Not unless the Alteans have some sort of completely foolproof way of trapping and containing Zarkon and Haggar and preventing them from somehow being busted out. And I do mean something they are 100% confident would contain them." Ed looked at Allura who only shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee they'd stay captive in the cryo-tubes and I would not be comfortable having them aboard this ship for the remainder of my life. Even if they could be contained in a cryo-tube and we hid them somewhere, there is no guarantee they'd stay hidden." She told him sadly before straightening herself up. "No. The only way to be completely sure this war will end with our victory is their death and the successful dispersion of the Galran forces." She told them and Ed nodded like he hadn't expected any other answer.

At that moment, Coran slipped into the room, holding a device in his hands. "I have the memory-sharing device, as requested." He announced, holding the device up.

"Excellent. Thank you, Coran." Allura said as the orange haired man approached the table they'd all gathered around. He passed the device over to Allura, who accepted it and turned towards Edward. "This part goes over your head like so," she demonstrated on herself, "and you activate it by thinking about the memory you wish to share." She instructed before closing her eyes and concentrating. A blue screen hovered in front of her and they were rewarded with the vision of a man and woman who looked like Allura in a field of flowers before she opened her eyes and took the device off. "Simple, yes?" She asked as she handed it over to Ed. Mustang removed his arm from around Ed's shoulders when the blonde stretched forward to accept the tech.

"Yeah." He said, staring at the head piece and frowning. "So, I just concentrate on the memory of the ship and it'll show up on the screen?" He asked and Allura nodded.

"Exactly. You saw my mother and father in a field of juniberry flowers because that is the memory I wished for you to see. Make sure you concentrate solely on the memory of scanning the ship. Don't let yourself get side-tracked by thoughts or emotions." She warned. Ed nodded before placing the head piece on himself.

"Is it on correctly?" He asked and Pidge nodded. "Okay. Here goes." He said, closing his eyes and summoning the memory.

As it did for Allura, a blue screen appeared in front of Ed's face. Mustang shifted nervously in his seat. He would be the first to admit he wasn't sure about Ed using a device so invasive and, well, alien but he also knew he wouldn't have been able to stop him.

* * *

The first thing they saw was the view of the armada and Zarkon's massive ship from the view of the pod. That was something that only Mustang was unprepared to see but that didn't mean the others didn't have some sort of reaction. The reminder that  _that_  was what they had to go up against was unsettling. They watched as how they saw the armada change into a 3D rendering of blueprints when Ed's hands stretched out in front of him on the screen. Mustang was surprised to see the energy spread from Ed's outstretched hands. Ordinarily, the energy was invisible to the naked eye but Mustang now figured that Ed was able to see it in his mind's eye, which made sense since the blonde needed to know where it was so he could maneuver it. Mustang somehow wasn't surprised to discover the energy was the same colour as Ed's eyes. The energy rapidly raced for Zarkon's ship, something that caused a couple of people to feel a touch queasy at the speed the energy moved, before it was forced to a stop and the warding Ed was talking about flared up on contact. They heard Ed's slight gasp and the muffled voices of Keith and Lance before they saw the extra energy Ed had released to blast through the shield.

Zarkon's ship was massive, which meant that Ed's tracking array could only do so much. Since he'd been wanting to look over the whole of the ship and not an individual room, the array had to keep the ship whole in Ed's view. They could still make out the rooms and routes though. As the energy encompassed the ship, bright spots of light flared up throughout the whole ship. Most of them were an almost plum colour – Galra – but there were some other colours scattered throughout the ship, like Edward had said. There was one spot in the ship that had a whole collection of colours and Allura growled. They must be prisoners. They spotted the two energies Ed had been talking about and he wasn't wrong in his description. Allura likened the colour to old, dried blood. Ed continued showing them the memory but there wasn't much more of interest after Zarkon and Haggar's energy was spotted. However, once he'd run the memory all the way through, he backed it up and stopped it where Zarkon and Haggar's energy was so they could effectively figure out how to get there.

"Can I take the mind sharing device off now?" Ed asked, startling everyone when his voice broke the silence.

"Give us one moment more, Edward." Allura asked before nodding to Coran. The orange-haired alien nodded back before he used a second device to do something to the one Ed was wearing. Coran gave Allura a thumbs up and she turned back to Ed. "Okay, you can take it off now." She told him and he didn't waste any time.

"You okay?" Mustang asked as Ed placed the device on the table in front of him. The blue screen that had been showing the memory had vanished the moment Ed had taken the head piece off.

"I'm fine." The blonde told him before watching Coran, intrigued with whatever the older alien was fiddling with.

"Ah ha!" Coran exclaimed as he got it to work and pressed a button. A larger screen than what had appeared for Edward showed up in the middle of the table with the exact part of the memory Ed had last shown them on it. "This little beauty helps us capture a particular moment shown on any of the memory share devices. You can use it to create pictures if you wish or so we can do this; share the memory on a bigger screen." Coran explained when Pidge asked.

"We can safely assume this energy here is Zarkon," Allura drew the attention back to the screen as she pointed to the dark spot in the higher levels of the ship, "and this one is Haggar. We also saw the large gathering of colours in the one area of the ship and I believe we can safely assume they are prisoners."

"That's what I thought. There is something else I noticed about them." Ed said, eye flicking to Pidge momentarily before focusing back on Allura, who indicated he continue. "You guys know the tracking array identifies your life energy. I can tell the difference between species that way." He remembered a theory. "Oh, by the way, Haggar is Altean. Or she was. Whatever happened to her has messed with her life energy enough that that Altean part is practically gone." He told the two Alteans, both of whom nodded solemnly. "But back to the prisoners. I think two of them are human." He could not have predicted the reaction he got.

"Are you sure? Could you tell anything else about them? Were they alright?" Pidge asked, practically standing on her chair.

"Uh, yes, no, and I think so?" Ed answered, leaning back a little in case Pidge tried to launch across the table to wrangle more answers out of him.

"We have to get them!" Pidge turned to Allura to plead with her. "It has to be them! We have to get them back!" Allura raised her hands placatingly.

"We will, Pidge. We'll rescue all of the prisoners, including your family." Allura soothed.

"Wait, her family?" Ed asked, bringing the attention to him.

"When I was captured, Pidge's father, Professor Sam Holt, and her brother, Matt, were with me. We got separated somehow after we were taken and we've been looking for them everywhere." Shiro told him, eyes downcast and a sad yet shamed expression on his face.

"It wasn't your fault, Shiro. You still don't even know how you escaped. Dad and Matt were probably nowhere near you." Pidge told him, voice firm but gentle.

"We have to get them out before we attack Haggar and Zarkon." Mustang declared.

"As much as I would like to reunite Pidge with her family, we cannot risk getting caught because we went for the prisoners first." Allura frowned. "You're a high rank in any military, from what I understand. Surely you realise how important this is? We cannot risk our one chance to end this war." Allura looked at Pidge with pity.

"Yes, I am a high rank within any military. I know what you all have at stake here and I understand where you're coming from, Princess. However, I can also tell you right now that Pidge will not be able to fight anyone knowing her family is somewhere on that ship." Mustang held up a hand to halt the objection Allura was going to raise. "She will be distracted, through no fault of her own, because she knows her family is within reach and in danger. That means she very possibly could put her team in danger - put Fullmetal in danger - because she is distracted. If we get her family and the other prisoners out first, she won't have any distractions.  _And_ ," he emphasised the word when Allura went to say something again, "they won't be able to use her family against because I will bet you money they know full well who they've got prisoner and they will use them against Pidge and against us."

"If we can figure out how to get the prisoners out then attack immediately so they don't have time to prepare for us, we can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Hunk piped up. "The prisoners will be out of harms way and we will take away any leverage they might have against us."

"Allura, all respect to you," Pidge said, fists clutching the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white, "but I will be rescuing my family first." She warned her. "I will not risk their lives or them remaining prisoners if we somehow fail." Allura slumped forward, resting her head in her hands as leant on her elbows that were resting on the table.

"If you can give me a plan that as a high rate for success  _and_  won't risk our chance at ending this war today, I'll listen." Allura finally said, straightening herself up from the slouch she'd fallen in.

Everyone was slightly surprised at the lack of argument but no one was going to waste this chance. They were all in deep thought, the Lions helping where they could and encouraging their pilots and Ed to come up with an idea. Green could sense her pilots resolve about her family. She would try and get them out first.

"We can't split up the teams." Lance was the first to speak, causing everyone to look at him. There was a split second where he squirmed under their gaze before he hid it behind a mask. "We can't afford to lose a team member on either team or we'll be weaker against Haggar and Zarkon. We definitely can't split our team up anymore." He gestured to himself, Pidge and Ed. "But what if we didn't have to?" He asked before leaning forward and pointing to the still of the ship in front of them. "These prisoners are held here, close to the outside of the ship. I imagine it's so people wouldn't risk firing on the ship without risking the prisoners. But if a Lion can get close enough and use their tail laser to cut through the shell of the ship, the pilot can get inside. The Lion uses her head to block the hole made so the prisoners aren't exposed to space when the pilot gets the door open. The prisoners are loaded into the Lion and the pilot flies the Lion back to the Castle, where the prisoners and pilot deboard. Meanwhile, each team will be able to attack Haggar and Zarkon and prevent them from trying to stop the prisoners escaping." Lance explained, looking around at everyone.

"Who will pilot the Lion? You said so yourself; you can't afford to split up your teams." Allura reminded him. Lance looked at her pointedly and she clued on quickly. "Me?!" She exclaimed as Lance nodded.

"Yes. Blue's offered to let you pilot her," there was a flicker of something on his face but it was gone before Ed could identify it, "and once you've successfully rescued the prisoners and returned to the Castle, she'll come back to help me, Pidge, Green and Ed." Ed had to admit it was a very good plan.

"Lance, I'm honoured but I don't know if I can pilot Blue." Allura said but Lance was already waving off her concerns.

"It was Blue's idea. She'll let you pilot her this once. You'll fly with me when we launch our attack before taking over Blue's controls and heading for the prisoners once our team has Haggar distracted. Once you've gotten them out, take them back to the ship. Blue will let you disembark before she comes back to me." Lance explained again.

"It's a good plan, Princess. I know you can do this." Coran said softly, squeezing her upper arm.

"Thank you, Coran. There is just one other problem I can foresee." Allura sighed. "What about the warded shield? Will it even permit me to cross it?" She asked. "I didn't recognise the symbols that flared up. Learning my father's art hasn't really been a priority for me since we woke up." She admitted.

"Lucky for you, the first subject of books I read through in your library was your alchemy texts." Ed told her. "I told you I didn't notice the symbols when I used the array but I paid attention when I showed you the memory. Those symbols only stop certain energies released in an attack. So long as you don't use alchemy to try and breach the shield, you won't be stopped. Once you're inside the shield, you'll be able to use your alchemy if needed." Ed told her.

"Of course the alchemy books were the first ones you read." Mustang commented dryly. "Why am I not surprised?" He barely dodged the elbow aimed for his gut.

"Just because you're uninterested in any alchemy that doesn't involve fire, doesn't mean the rest of us are so narrow-minded." Ed snapped at him, annoyed the older man had dodged the blow.

"There is one part of this plan that I will admit I am slightly uncomfortable with." Coran admitted. "Princess Allura will be flying Blue without any protection while she rescues the prisoners." He pointed out.

"Blue said that as soon as they've opened a hole in the ship, she'll activate her shield. That will protect them while Allura is loading the prisoners. After that, it's up to Allura to use Blue's weapons and the Castle to provide extra cover fire." Lance said before looking at Allura. "I can't leave you Blue's bayard so you'll only have her lasers and ice beam. I know you can do this. Blue has confidence in you as well." Lance told her, smiling encouragingly.

"I gotta admit, it's a good plan." Ed said as he studied the layout of the ship in front of him. "If we assume this energy here is Haggar and this one is Zarkon and we leave the Lions out of the fight -" there were plenty of protests in his head and from the Paladins, "no, listen." He demanded. "If the Lions stay in their mechanical forms – obviously Black, Red and Yellow closest to Zarkon and Blue and Green closest to Haggar – they'll act as a second surprise attack and won't draw attention to the fact that Blue isn't fighting alongside us. When Blue re-joins the Lions, or their Paladin is in too much danger, whatever comes first,  _then_  they join us." Ed explained before moving onto his reasoning. "By having the Lions stay back until Blue joins them again, they'll be able to take Haggar and Zarkon by surprise. If we time it right, their appearance alone might throw Haggar or Zarkon off their game a bit and help someone get the upper-hand in the fight and win without a Lion having to do anything."

"You're talking about keeping the Lions ability to transform and help us in a hand-to-hand fight as the ace in our sleeve." Shiro asked and Mustang and Ed nodded.

"Exactly. Fullmetal's idea is a good idea. Considering the Lions couldn't transform before and King Alfor didn't even tell you, Princess, or the Lions themselves what he hoped to achieve, I highly doubt he told Zarkon." Mustang said, following Ed's thought process. "If he didn't know what Alfor was planning, he couldn't prepare for the eventuality that his daughter might figure it out and accomplish it. Plus, it is always a good idea to never go into a fight with all of your cards showing."

"You're assuming King Alfor never divulged what he was trying to achieve to Zarkon." Coran said. "You have to remember that at one time, they were best friends. As close as brothers." Allura's face pinched at the reminder.

"If you were Zarkon and you knew what Alfor had planned  _and_  you thought Miss Allura might've managed to accomplish what Alfor couldn't have and you saw all of the Lions sitting in their mechanical form with their shields up instead of fighting at their pilots' side, what would you think?" Ed asked Coran.

"Ah, I see your point. I would assume she hadn't succeeded." Coran said, twisting his mustache and eyes twinkling approvingly at Edward. "Very clever, young man."

"I try." Ed grinned. Mustang rolled his eyes.

"So, that's the plan?" Shiro asked, bringing their attention back to what they should be doing. "Keith, Hunk, myself and Mustang will land here," he pointed to a deck that was on the level Zarkon's energy was, "and head for Zarkon while the Lions wait. At the same time, Lance, Allura, Edward and Pidge will land here," this time he pointed to a deck that was above Haggar's energy, "and everyone bar Allura will deboard the Lions. Allura and Blue will head for the prisoners as soon as they receive word that the team has Haggar engaged in a fight so she doesn't try to intercept the princess. Once Blue and Allura have the prisoners, they'll head for the Castle and unload the passengers. Once everyone's out of Blue, she'll come back and join Green on the deck. At that point, the Lions will transform and join their pilots in the fight." He looked around at everyone to see if there were any objections so far. "After the Lions have joined the fight, the goal will be to take Zarkon and Haggar out, not just down. If we want to stop this war completely, we cannot let either of them escape or live. If we do, we'll have to hunt them down instead of focusing on freeing planets and going home." Shiro reminded them. None of them looked comfortable at the idea of killing someone but none of them had any doubts that killing them was the only way to win the war.

"If one team manages to take down and confirm their opponent is dead, should they – barring any majorly injured team member – join the second team?" Pidge asked. Shiro and Ed shared a look.

"Yes. Once your teams' opponent is taken care of, your first objective should be to confirm they're definitely dead. After that, check yourselves for injuries and treat the ones you can. Each team will have at least one medpack that Lance has put together. If someone needs a pod, they are to leave the ship immediately. It is then up to the team leader to check on the other team and see if they need assistance. If they do, head to join them. If they don't, stay on standby in case that changes." Shiro instructed. Ed nodded his agreement.

"There is one thing I'd like to know." Ed said after a moment. "What do we do with their bodies?" He asked and the others looked up, startled at the question.

"Why do you ask?" Allura managed to not sound shaken by the question.

"Well, you said Galrans and Alteans can't live for 10,000 years. How can we be sure that whatever's kept them alive this long won't bring them back to life?" Ed asked. Allura's jaw dropped slightly and she looked at Coran automatically for an answer. No one else was able to come up with an answer either.

"I can take care of their bodies." Mustang offered, though he didn't look like he was okay with offering to.

"You sure, Mustang?" Ed asked, voice just edging into concerned.

"Take care of how?" Allura asked and Mustang raised his gloved hand up, array facing her. Understanding swept over her face. "Ah. I see." She seemed to swallow a little forcefully before speaking again. "I loathe to say this but I think that might be the only solution, at least for Haggar's remains, to ensure they stay dead." She looked sick at just the thought of what she was asking Mustang.

"So, that's that decided." Mustang aimed for casual but wasn't quite hitting the mark. No one called him out on it though.

Shiro stood from his spot. "We've still got half a varga before we're in position. Go do whatever you need to do to prepare. No training though. We cannot risk anyone getting hurt before the battle." He ordered, looking at Keith pointedly. The red Paladin rolled his eyes.

"I'll go put together medpacks for everyone." Lance said before leaving the room with Blue.

"I'll check the Lions systems remotely. See if they're all good." Pidge said.

"I'll go with her." Hunk said and they and their Lions all left.

"I'm gonna catch up with Lance. One person on each team really should know what's in the medpacks and how to use it." Shiro said, which sounded plausible until you saw his worried expression. He probably wanted to check that Lance was okay with Allura piloting Blue, even for a short while. Black confirmed Ed's thoughts as they watched the pair disappear after Lance and Blue.

"I'm gonna go sharpen my dagger." Keith grumbled.

"No training, remember!" Allura called after him and Red as they left. Keith made a noise that could've been confirmation to obey the order and Allura sighed as they disappeared.

"I'm going to the library. See ya." Ed announced, already halfway out the door before they knew it. He barely heard Mustang repeat the order for no training as he left. He didn't give any sign that he'd heard the older man. He assumed his commanding officer would stay behind with Allura and Coran to go over the plan with a fine-tooth comb and work out any potential kinks. "Hey, Red?" He called out to the Lion telepathically.

" _I know. You weren't exactly subtle when you figured it out."_  Red sighed. Ed elected to ignore her observation and get to the point.

"Are you going to tell him or do you want me to?" He asked and felt her hesitate in her answer.

" _Does he need to be told?"_  She asked and Ed nodded before realising she couldn't actually see him. He made it to the library as he answered.

"Yes. If I were him, I'd want to know." Ed told her and felt her heave a sigh. "Do you want me there when you tell him?" He offered and the gratitude he felt was massive.

" _Yes, please. We're in his room."_  She told him and Ed immediately turned and walked right back out the library door and headed for the bedroom hall. He really hoped Keith would take this well. It wasn't every day you told someone there was a high possibility he shared the same blood as the alien race they were currently at war with. How was this Ed's life again?


	15. Chapter 15

Keith was watching the doorway when Ed finally appeared in front of it. That was a little unsettling but he'd suffered through listening to Havoc's disastrous dating fails time and time again so he was able to hide it well. Still, he knocked on the door frame because he had manners, no matter what Mustang said.

"Red said you were coming to tell me something private. What's up?" Keith asked, casually cautious after he waved him in. Ed nodded before closing the door and sitting on the chair near his desk.

"How much do you know about your parents?" Ed asked and the effect was immediate. Keith immediately froze before forcing himself to relax enough to pick his knife back up to sharpen it once more. The action added to his soundless snarl and furious expression told Ed he'd not only hit a sore spot but he probably stabbed it and twisted the knife.

" _Way to dive right in."_  Red sighed as she nudged Keith's shoulder from where she was curled up behind him.

"How was I supposed to know that was an iffy subject? Most people don't react like I do when someone brings up my family!" Ed defended himself, forgetting to speak to Red telepathically, which meant Keith heard him.

"Why do you want to know about my parents?" Keith wanted to be mad at the question but Edward didn't sound like he was trying to sympathise with him by pretending to have a less-than-typical family and it didn't sound like he meant to make that comment out loud, which crossed off the possibility he alluded to his own family issues to try and build a rapport. So, really, Keith couldn't pretend to be mad and just decided he wanted to know why Ed asked about his parents.

"Did you know both of your parents?" Ed questioned instead. Keith raised a brow at the redirect but something told him to go with it. And by 'something' he meant Red.

"My mum left when I was a few months old. My dad died when I was nine. Why?" Keith asked once again, placing some emphasis on the question. For some reason, his answer caused Ed to sigh.

"No chance you wanna tell him? Might be less shocking coming from you." Ed asked, ignoring Keith, focusing on Red.

" _No. You can explain how you know."_  Red answered, her voice echoing slightly in Keith's head but it was obvious she wasn't talking to him.

"Tell me what?" Keith asked demandingly.

"I noticed something when I was using my tracking array earlier." Ed told him, a touch reluctantly.

"Something to do with me, obviously." Keith said, feeling himself getting annoyed. "What?" He asked once more.

"Look, there seriously is no easy way to tell you this and it's not like this is something I do every other day so I'm gonna be blunt." Ed told him apologetically. Keith forced himself to keep eye contact with Ed, heart thundering wildly in his chest. Only Keith's training had stopped him from nearly hyperventilating. "You're part Galran." Ed said and Keith felt his brain stop. The room went quiet and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"How do you know?" Keith asked, voice strangled as he tried to draw in a breath and contain the urge to punch something – Edward, his bed, the wall, something – as he tried to comprehend this life-altering information. He felt Red's worry growing the longer he held it in but he needed to contain his explosive feelings until after Ed explained.

"Your energy. It's similar to Lance's, Hunk's, Pidge's and Shiro's but it had something different in it. I didn't know what and it was honestly driving me nuts not knowing but every time I thought to ask you, someone else was nearby and I figured you might not want to talk about it in front of someone. I never asked Red either because I didn't think she'd tell me anyway." Ed shrugged. "But when we were in the pod and I saw that first Galran with the array, I knew. Then I went over every interaction we'd had or that I'd seen between you and the others and no one brought it up or alluded to it. That's when I realised you didn't know. So, I asked Red and she told me she knew but hadn't told you. I figured that if I were you, I'd want to know as soon as someone found it out." Ed sucked in a breath after that explanation and watched Keith carefully for his reaction.

Keith listened to Ed walk him through how he found out about his… heritage but the more the blonde spoke, the more everything about his childhood made sense. Why there weren't any pictures of his mother in the house. Why his father wouldn't tell him anything about what she was like. Why he was never specific with his answers. Keith soon learnt to stop trying to get proper answers just before his father passed. But then again, the stories his father used to tell him at night made a lot more sense. All those stories about a brave warrior fighting a war in the sky, protecting the people on Earth they loved, having to sacrifice their time with them to save the universe so they can stay safe, made a lot more sense now. But still…

"I'm half-Galran?" Keith's voice sounded so young and for a moment, Ed wasn't sure which way the red Paladin would go. Either he'd start hitting things or he'd cry and Ed knew which response he was more than prepared for. Red was also watching him carefully for his reaction.

"From what I could see in your energy, yes." Edward said gently. Red seemed to shrug at Ed when he looked at her for help on what to do now, which was no help whatsoever. "Are you alright?" He settled for asking, wincing even as he said the words. He highly doubted he would be alright in this situation. Finding out you were half-Xersian because your deadbeat dad was really a homunculous that was once a Xersian before he unwillingly committed genocide on his entire race was one thing; finding out you're a half-alien and that alien half belongs to a race dead-set on universal domination was another.

"I don't know." Keith admitted. "I don't even know how I feel right now. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" He asked Ed, eyes blazing and begging for an answer.

"I don't know, man." Ed told him, sighing. "Normally, I'd recommend beating the living shit out of a gladiator but we're banned from the training rooms and I'm pretty sure Miss Allura's actually locked us out of the training rooms just in case so we can't do that." Keith huffed a little at that. "Though, if you can hold it in for the next, like, hour, you can take it out of Zarkon?" Ed suggested. "Might be a bit more cathartic." He said, smiling a little when Keith actually did laugh.

" _This doesn't change anything about who you are. All it did was answer some of your questions. You're still the same person you were fifteen dobashes ago."_  Red told him, voice echoing in Ed's head as a way to let Ed know kind of what was going on in Keith's head.

"Red's right. This doesn't change anything. You're still the same Keith." Ed told him. Keith let out a shuddering sigh before lifting his gaze up to meet Ed's.

"Allura and Coran won't take this well." The 'not to mention the others' was left unsaid.

"Allura and Coran have a reason to take it badly." Ed told him, holding a finger up to stop both Red and Keith from talking. Red did not appreciate that. "Their whole race and planet were wiped out because of the Galran so of course they won't handle finding out one of their friends is half-Galran gracefully. But they will realise the same thing we just told you; being half-Galran doesn't change who you are. Might take them a bit longer but they will get it." Ed said confidently.

"How do you sound so sure?" Keith asked and Ed leant back in his chair.

"Because I am sure and I don't know if you know this but I  _am_  a genius." Ed said cockily, winking at Keith and smirking when the black-haired teenager rolled his eyes but laughed at him.

"So you think I should keep this to myself until after the fight?" Keith asked after a couple of moments of silence.

"It's up to you. The only reason I told you, like I said, was because I'd be pissed off if someone kept something like that from me unless they literally couldn't tell me straight away." Ed told him.

" _I think it might be a good idea to wait until after the fight."_  Red suggested.

"Why?" Both boys asked her at the same time.

" _Mainly because we won't have the time to answer their questions before we head out to Zarkon's ship. I don't know about you but I don't want to be the reason they're distracted from the fight. Plus, maybe if you wait until after, everyone will be too tired to make a big fuss about it."_  Red pointed out and Ed nodded his head.

"People not making a fuss means it's over and done with quicker." Ed said observably. "Plus, if Miss Allura does take it badly and says something she doesn't mean, like that you might side with them or something stupid, you can point out that you just defeated Zarkon." His words, while meant to be encouraging, had Keith pale significantly.

"You think she'll say something like that?" He asked, sounding a little scared.

"I think it's a possibility that she might not be thinking clearly after you tell her and will say whatever comes to mind without thinking about it." Ed told him. "She won't mean it but she'll be hurt because she's spent so long despising the Galrans with every fibre of her being and to find out that someone she's so close with is half-Galran? That will be something she won't ever have suspected and she'll lash out without thought. You'll need time to prepare yourself for that because the things she might say will hurt you. It's one thing to know she won't mean what she says before you talk to her but it's another thing to keep that in mind when she's yelling." Ed told him. Keith was listening to every word he was saying.

"How do you know she won't mean it?" Keith asked and Ed shrugged.

"Because I'm half decent at reading people and while she's strict, Miss Allura doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body unless it has something to do with the Galrans. The way she talks to you and about you guys tells me that she holds you all in high regard and not just because you're Paladins. You're her friends which is why I think she'll take finding out half of your genetics come from the alien race that destroyed her planet so hard. It's also why I think she won't mean any of it. What she says and thinks when she's been blind-sided by something like that shouldn't be taken to heart." Ed told him. Red nodded along at what he was saying and he knew she was telling Keith that she agreed with his words. "But like I said, telling everyone is your decision. If you think they'll be able to handle something this without it affecting their ability to fight than tell them. If not, wait until we've finished the mission."

Ed and Red came to the mutual agreement to stay quiet while Keith thought over his choices. The red Paladin didn't take as long as they thought he would've had to make his decision though. Ed glanced at the clock in the time it did take for him to make up his mind to see how long they head before the call to the hangar sounded over the comms. They had a little over five minutes.

"I'll tell them after. Once we're all back on the Castle and been patched up." Keith sounded a little morose but certain in his decision. "I don't want them to get hurt because they're distracted and I don't want to cause any kind of rift in the team because we can't talk about this completely before going out." Keith didn't know why he felt like he had to defend his decision considering he knew Edward and Red wouldn't argue with it but he did do anyway.

"Okay. So, I won't say anything and I'm sure the others already knew since Red did but they won't say anything until you do." Ed told him as he stood up and stretched.

" _My sisters and I agreed long ago, just after I claimed you as my pilot, that we wouldn't say anything about it to our Paladins until you said it was alright. They will honour that agreement."_  Red assured both humans, speaking more to Keith than Ed but they both heard her.

"Thanks." Keith smiled gratefully,

"Don't mention it." Ed grinned back easily. "Now, if we're done with all this emotional crap, how about we head done to the main hangar and get ready. Miss Allura will be coming on over the comms any minute now anyway." Ed suggested, bouncing on his heels and looking at the doorway.

"I'm with you on that. Let's go." Keith grinned at his child-like behaviour and gestured for him to go first. Ed opened the door and made it into the hallway before Red managed to pull herself off the bed.

* * *

To their surprise, Keith, Red and Edward weren't the only ones waiting in the main hangar. Everyone except Pidge, Green, Mustang and the Alteans were there. The Lions present were back in their mechanical forms and, after nudging Keith's arm affectionately and swishing her tail against Ed's cheek, Red joined them after glowing intensely. The two humans joined Hunk, Lance and Shiro where they were milling in front of Black's massive metal paw.

"Let's go put our armour on." Shiro ordered after a few moments of tension that was filled with anxiety and nerves. No one was saying anything so brief nods were given as they followed the command. By the time they came back out, everyone else was waiting for them. Allura repeated the order Shiro had given them and those who weren't outfitted in their armour left to do so, Allura included.

"Nice look." Mustang smirked as he passed Edward. The younger alchemist was dressed in armour he wore when he scanned Zarkon's ship, helmet in his arms.

"You just wish you'll look this good in your armour." Ed shot back over his shoulder as he joined the half of the Castle's inhabitants who were armoured up. He heard Mustang laugh at him, which meant he naturally had to flip the man off without looking at him as he joined the others.

They only had to wait a few minutes for the three of them to join the rest of the Paladins and Edward. Green had waited until Pidge came back to transform into her mechanical form. Once she'd done so, Allura turned to the rest of them. Coran appeared out of nowhere just before Allura opened her mouth to address everyone.

"I am sure I do not need to remind you all that the results of this upcoming battle will decide our futures." Allura said, standing tall in her pink Paladin armour, Coran on her right holding her helmet. "The planet who took in the people of the planet just overtaken by Zarkon has allowed them to continue communicating with us and have sent us an update only a few dobashes ago. Zarkon's ships have become more active and the inhabitants and refugees on Planet Haveria now believe that Zarkon has set his sights on them. Unbeknownst to us or the Galrans, the element the planet Zarkon had just conquered only appears for the planet's native species. The refugees, the Bronthiods, and the Haverians have turned down my offer to have Voltron assist them when they told us the Galrans had already invaded. They have promised me that they can hold their own for the time being and have urged us to continue with our plans." Allura took a deep breath. "So, I'm urging everyone to think of this as any other mission. Zarkon is just another greedy General. Haggar is just another Druid. The end goal for today is to free one planet and prevent another being taken. Ignore the fact that there are prisoners on Zarkon's ship. Ignore how big the fleet is. Focus solely on your missions. Keep an eye on your teammates' backs. Do not stray from your orders and help each other. The Castle will take care of all the fighters. All you must do is take out your opponents."

"We'll do our best, Princess Allura." Shiro promised. Allura's face softened a little.

"I know you will and once again, I find myself realising that I am asking you to put your lives on the line for people and planets you don't know in a war you didn't ask to be a part of. Especially you, Edward, and Brigadier-General Mustang." Her eyes flicked to the two alchemists. "I know how lucky we are to have you two on our side and I know what you're potentially putting on the line for us. People you only met not so long ago. I want to take this moment to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here and helping us." She bowed low, Coran following her lead.

"There is no need to thank us for fighting alongside you and your Paladins, Princess Allura. I believe I can speak for Fullmetal as well as myself when I say that we are honoured to join you in this fight. We will do our best to help make sure this battle ends with your victory." Mustang told her, standing at parade rest, looking completely sure of himself.

"We'll kick their arse." Ed told her seriously. Lance snorted, which caused Hunk and Pidge to snort in turn. That in turn caused Shiro to almost smile before remembering he was supposed to be in charge. Keith just rolled his eyes, though they could all see his amusement. Mustang almost looked like he was praying for strength.

"Thank you, Edward." Allura smiled slightly so Ed counted it as a win. Just as quickly as it left, the seriousness of the situation was back. "The plan, as you know, is for the Lions to land on Zarkon's ship. All Paladins and alchemists will wait until Edward has confirmed through his tracking array where Zarkon and Haggar are, if that's agreeable?" She asked, looking at the blonde.

"Yeah, no issues here." Ed told her.

"Thank you." She nodded her head. "Once Edward has ascertained the location of Zarkon and Haggar and has relayed Zarkon's position to Shiro's team, the Paladins and alchemists will leave the Lions to confront their target. Once I've received word from Edward's team that they've found Haggar, Blue and I will leave to free the prisoners. Coran will have positioned the Castle and cloaked it until I'm ready to move, at which point he will open fire on the fighters and other ships to help protect Blue while we're liberating the prisoners. Once we've gotten them all off the ship, Blue and I will head back to the Castle, where the prisoners and I will deboard. Blue will then re-join the Lions on Zarkon's ship and await the order from the team leaders to join the fight. Coran and I will await word from you and continue to provide cover fire." Allura finished relaying the plan for them. There were no changes from when they'd planned it earlier, aside from having Edward check Zarkon and Haggar's positions, but it was still worth going over the whole plan in case someone had a question or comment.

"I wish all of you luck and I believe in your abilities. I know you can win this battle but be assured I will be fighting alongside you with everything this Castle has. I will see all of you after this. I'll have some Nunvill awaiting your victorious return." Coran told them, never once losing his joyful and optimistic nature before he gave them a cheery wave and headed out of the hangar, presumably back to the bridge to move the ship into position.

"Wait, was that supposed to be encouragement for us to win?" Lance stage-whispered to Pidge and Hunk, shuddering dramatically. Allura looked at him in reprimand though it came off more as fondly exasperated. Hunk elbowed Lance gently as Pidge started cackling at Lance's face.

"Nunvill?" Ed asked and Lance turned to him, face dramatically horrified.

"Don't touch it if you're offered it." He warned him and Ed had a feeling his tone wasn't as exasperated as his antics.

"Paladins, alchemists, it's time." Allura said gravely and once again the seriousness of the situation washed away any lightheartedness created by them joking around.

The five Paladins headed for their Lions immediately after sharing some tight smiles that didn't reach any of their eyes and gentle pats on the shoulders. Allura followed Lance and Ed made to follow them both when Mustang pulled him aside.

"I don't like the idea of you facing this Haggar with only two people backing you, even with the help their Lions will also bring. Do not get cocky and underestimate her. Do not get yourself killed, Fullmetal, because I refuse to be the one that has to explain what happened to Alphonse or Miss Rockbell." Mustang told him quietly. Ed felt a snarky response bubble onto the tip of his tongue, ready for him to voice it, when he saw just how worried about him Mustang really was.

"You stay safe too. Zarkon's had 10,000 years to learn a few tricks and I doubt you'll be the first opponent to use fire against him. I don't want to have to tell Miss Riza that your desperation to avoid paperwork like the plague got you killed by an alien warlord." Ed swallowed his pride and let himself show his worry rather than hide it from his commanding officer like he ordinarily would've.

Mustang laid a hand on his left forearm and squeezed gently before using it to push Ed towards Blue where Lance and Allura were waiting for him. A glance towards Black showed Shiro standing at the base of her ramp, waiting for Mustang to join him. Both alchemists headed for the Lions waiting for them and boarded alongside their pilots.

* * *

Blue's cockpit lit up the moment Lance sat in the chair and Allura and Ed hovered behind him as he flicked switches and pressed buttons to get her ready for battle. A glance at the screen on Lance's left showed the other pilots doing the same thing as they awaited the instruction to leave the hangar. There was no chatter amongst the pilots and the Lions were all quiet in Ed's head. Ed was feeling the assurances and confidence they were sending their Paladins though so he knew they weren't being completely quiet. A nudge from Allura and a pointed look at his helmet had Ed putting it on hastily. Shiro nodded at Mustang at the same time and he put his on as well just in time.

"Princess, Paladins and alchemists. The Castle is now in position and cloaked. From what I can see on the radar and hear on the frequencies I'm tuned into, the Galrans do not know we are here. I believe now is as an opportune time as we will ever get. Good luck, everyone." Coran's voice came on over the comms. If the atmosphere was tense before, it became even tenser after his announcement. "I'm opening the main hangar bay now." Coran informed them and sure enough, the main hangar bay doors opened.

"Paladins, on my six." Shiro ordered as Black roared her orders to her sisters.

Black flew out of the hangar, followed quickly by Red, Green, Blue and Yellow. The small fighters that spotted them first never got the chance to radio a warning back to their commanders as the Lions sliced through them quickly. Blue's tail laser was constantly firing shots, never missing a mark as Lance called out warnings to his team. A Galran fighter's shot got through their defences and Ed and Allura were forced to grip the back of Lance's chair lest they be thrown around the cockpit. Red destroyed the ship whose shot hit them.

They managed to clear a path through to Zarkon's ship, destroying hundreds of fighters and taking down three of the larger ships in their way. Ed clapped the moment they got close enough and sent his tracking energy forward, breaking through the shield like it wasn't even there and searching for the two dark, twisted energies he'd sensed before. He found them in the same area they were in before and he sent his energy forward further to confirm the prisoners' locations. Satisfied, he stopped transmuting immediately.

"They're still where they were before. So are the prisoners." Ed relayed. Lance immediately got on the comms to Shiro and passed the message along.

Only a few more fighters tried to get in their way as they went to land on the decks they'd chosen beforehand. They were swiftly dealt with. Lance set Blue down next to the edge of the deck so Allura wouldn't have to dodge Green to get to the prisoners. A quick pat to her console and murmured words for her to behave herself for Allura saw Lance leaving the pilot's chair and Allura slipping into it.

"Good luck, Allura. Blue, put your shield up the moment Ed and I are out of the way. No one should be any the wiser about Allura being on board, okay, gorgeous?" A confirming rumble sounded throughout the cockpit.

"Come back alive, you two. Consider it an order." Allura told them, eyes filled with worry as she turned to watch them.

"We'll do our best, Princess. Can't disappoint a pretty lady, now can we?" Lance said with a wink, causing Allura and Ed to roll their eyes.

* * *

Blue opened her mouth to let them down her ramp and they joined Pidge, who was heading down Green's ramp at the same time. The moment the three of them were out of range, blue shields surrounded the two Lions just as shots from more fighters rained down on them. The three of them ran into the ship, downing any Galran soldiers or sentries they came across. Lance proved himself irreplaceable as he took down every opponent quickly and cleanly. Ed used the walls and floors of the ship to create spikes to take down multiple enemies but sometimes they weren't destroyed straight away and Lance picked off the survivors while Pidge used her superior knowledge of alien technology to rewire some of the robots' they came across so they'd turn on their own kind and fight. Ed used his tracking array to make sure they were going the right way and soon enough, they found themselves in a massive, empty, dim-lit room. Ed quickly picked up on its similarity to the room Shiro had confronted Haggar in on the tape he was shown but this room was bigger and had multiple exits as opposed to the two they'd seen in the video.

"She should be here somewhere." Ed told the other two when they'd reached the middle of the room with no sign of Haggar. "Keep your guard up." He warned, stopping his tracking array when Haggar's energy kept flicking around the room so quickly it was making him nauseous.

"So, the Blue and Green Paladins have been chosen to face me. And what's this?" A woman's voice rang all around them, echoing slightly in the room. Ed decided the voice matched the woman they'd seen in the video. Definitely had the creepy factor going on. "You've brought a new face. Oh, but this one's special, isn't he?" Suddenly, Haggar appeared directly in front of Ed's face with no warning.

Ed jerked backwards instinctively which caused Haggar to grin sharply, her yellow eyes glowing as she studied Edward. Ed noted the red lines running from her eyes down through her lips and stopping in the middle of her chin. Her lips moved from the manic smile to a snarl as she flew backwards to dodge the swipe at her Ed had taken with his automail blade. That movement seemed to flick a switch for the two Paladins on either side of him and they moved into action.

Lance immediately opened fire, using his bayard's pistol form while Pidge tried to pin her with her grappling hook. Ed spared a moment to get on the comms to Allura. "Take off." Was all he said to her before he focused back on the battle at hand. He felt Blue's worry wash over him and her desire for him to stay safe made itself known. From the way Lance's body language changed for a moment, Ed guessed Blue did the same for him.

Numerous Haggars appeared around them, looking a real as the real Haggar and her cackle filled the room as the three of them cut through fake Haggar after fake Haggar. Ed sighed in irritation and clapped, unleashing his tracking array all around him. As he'd hoped, the energy saw through the duplicate Haggars and he could see where the real one was. "The one on your right, Lance!" He called through their comms. Lance didn't hesitate to shoot where Ed aimed him and the shot glanced Haggar's arm when the witch didn't figure out their move quite quick enough. She hissed and disappeared from their view, her clones going with her.

The three of them regrouped and stood back-to-back to make sure they had every angle covered so the witch couldn't surprise them. They were breathing heavily and everyone had scorch marks on their armour but no one, surprisingly enough, had anything more than bruises. Suddenly, Ed could sense a change in the atmosphere. It took him a moment to place it but when he did, his eyes widened as he turned and shoved both Paladins harshly enough that they were sent stumbling a few feet forward. Ed himself launched himself into a backwards flip just as purple lightning crackled and struck the very spot they'd standing moments ago.

"Very good instincts, non-Paladin." Haggar's voice whispered in his ear, causing Ed to spin on his heel to strike at the witch only for no one to be there. Pidge was standing a few metres away and Lance was nowhere to be seen. "I wonder, what kind of magic user are you? I recognise the energy, you see. You managed to get through my shield with barely any resistance. I tried to figure it out but you pulled your magic away before I could." Every word the witch spoke seemed to come from a different direction, making pinning her down nearly impossible.

"I'm an alchemist." Ed said, eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out her play here. He couldn't use his tracking array to find her, not with how she moved as it would make him dizzy and nauseous.

Haggar's voice sounded behind him once more and Ed spun, only to have his helmet ripped off as the witch spoke. "You are no alchemist." She hissed. "I am an alchemist. That Altean Princess is an alchemist, though her alchemy is pitiful. You, however; your energy does not match ours and no other species in this universe uses alchemy. So, what are you?" She demanded, dropping his helmet so it clattered between him and Pidge. A blue energy shot struck the wall opposite them, causing Haggar to shriek in rage as she was forced to reveal herself to avoid the blast. She sent a purple strike of lightning in the direction the energy had come from but Lance had successfully moved to a new spot so he wasn't hit.

"Who said I was from this universe?" Ed shot back, sending a spike her way but she teleported out of the way before it got near here. Pidge shot her grappling hook the moment Haggar rematerialised, forcing the witch to teleport again only for her to have to move quickly to avoid the shot Lance fired. Ed sent a line of spikes her way, hoping to trap her in the one spot but she teleported once again and appeared above them, her yellow eyes glaring with disgust and hatred.

Haggar sent a wave of magic their way, sending Pidge and Ed flying backwards. Ed glanced at Pidge once he managed to climb to his feet and saw the green Paladin doing the same. He went to transmute his blade back – having reversed the transmutation when Haggar sent them flying so he didn't stab himself – only to be stopped by Haggar grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her. Ed guessed she was trying to look warm and approachable but she only managed a cold mockery. Her eyes never lost the disgusted edge that showed every time she looked at the Paladins.

"Yes, I can see that now. Your energy is different from the little Paladins despite being the same species." Haggar's fingernails dug sharply into his chin and cheek, not quite deeply enough to cut the skin but certainly enough for it to be painful. Ed refused to show that kind of weakness to this witch. "Why would someone as powerful as you be lowering yourself to help a group as pathetic as the Paladins and the orphaned Alteans? You could be so much more than that. There's far more power waiting for you than you realise. You would be such a boon to my cause and the rewards I could offer you," Ed figured the slight curl of her lips was supposed to be encouraging but all Ed could see was vindictive, "well, you could have anything,  _do_  anything you wanted. Even bring your dear mother back."

Ed's eyes widened at that and he could tell his mouth had fallen open slightly. "What did you just say?" He asked, voice hitching slightly.

"That's right, dear boy." Haggar crooned, using her other hand to drag a nail lightly down his other cheek. "You could, in time, bring your mother back to life. You could even be able to turn back time, if you become powerful enough. You and your brother wouldn't have to go through that awful rebound. Your transmutation would be successful. You'd be able to see your mother smile once more." Her voice turned sickly sweet as she attempted to come across sympathetic. Her eyes blazed cruelly as she spoke.

Ed could see Pidge and Lance standing there out of the corner of his eye as he forced himself to keep eye contact with the witch. He held three fingers against his leg, tapping his thigh lightly to get their attention. "You could really bring my mother back? As she was?" He asked, voice hopeful and innocent, trying to keep Haggar's attention on him as he lowered one finger and tapped his thigh once more. Pidge's weapon glowed green as she readied it while Lance hefted his rifle to his shoulder. One more finger was lowered with one more tap to his thigh.

"Oh, no, my dear boy.  _You'll_  be the one to bring her back. I'll just give you the tools necessary to help you." Haggar's simpering expression made Ed want to punch her in the face. One final tap against his thigh and he balled his automail hand into a fist before striking at her face, wrenching himself out of her grip as he did so.

She snarled as she flew backwards out of his striking range, dodging his fist but not dodging the shot Lance had fired or the attack Pidge had launched. She shrieked bloodcurdlingly when Pidge sent a wave of electricity through her body and Lance's shot tore through her shoulder, splattering Edward and the floor in between them with her blood. The shot that went through her flew past Ed's face harmlessly and hit the wall, leaving a slight scorch mark in its place.

"Nice try, bitch, but I learned my lesson about bringing the dead back a long time ago." Ed snapped as he ran his hand over his automail arm and created his blade. Pidge and Lance joined his side as Haggar staggered back a couple of steps, clutching her injured shoulder. A soft, purple light glowed from under her fingers and she soon withdrew her hand to show her shoulder no longer bleeding profusely. Judging from her face, she hadn't managed to completely heal herself but it was enough to not hinder her movements as much. She shot another bolt of purple lightning at them and they separated. Looked like the fight wasn't quite as close to over as they'd hoped for.

* * *

"Take off." Allura didn't wait to hear anything else as she gripped Blue's controls and waited for the Lion to respond. She didn't do so as quickly as she would've for Lance but she did as she was asked and Allura was able to guide her away from the deck and Green, heading for the spot they knew the prisoners were being kept.

Like they thought would happen, Blue was under fire the moment her shielding dropped. Blue was helpful enough to instruct Allura on how to use her tail laser and ice beam but it was soon obvious that she wasn't at Lance's level of shooting. Most of her shots missed the target though they normally did hit something thanks to the fact that there were so many fighters trying to take her down. Despite her and Blue's best efforts, they were starting to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of fighters on them when several laser shots rained down on them from another direction.

"Don't worry, Princess! I have your back!" Coran said jovially on the comms and she breathed a sigh of relief as she and Blue continued on their journey now the obstacles blocking them were being taken care of.

"Thank you, Coran." She replied as she used Blue's scanner to pinpoint the prisoners. While not as detailed as Ed's tracking array, the scanner picked up heat signatures and she was able to home in on the largest gathering of them. Positioning Blue, she fired several shots at the hull of the ship, ripping through the metal easily. A swipe with Blue's mechanical claws had the hole being wrenched open even more.

"No troubles at all, Princess. I'll see you shortly with the prisoners. I'll keep these blighters off your tail in the meantime." Coran promised before going silent once more.

Shaking her head fondly at her adviser, she guided Blue's head through the opening they had made. Once in position, Blue opened her mouth to allow Allura to leave the cockpit. "Shield up, please, Blue." Allura requested and saw the faintest flicker of blue through the gaps between the edge of the hole and Blue herself. "Thank you." She nodded to the Lion before focusing on the task at hand.

They'd known before leaving the Castle that Allura would have to somehow get through a metal wall in order to release the prisoners from the cell next to where she and Blue had forced their way through. Keeping this in mind, Allura had approached Coran to see if there was anything he could think of that she could use to complete her mission. After some thought, he'd disappeared and returned nearly twenty dobashes later holding a large canister with straps for her to attach to her back and carry. She'd noted the silver hose the ran from the top of the container and followed it to an object Coran was holding in his hand.

"This will create a small but powerful laser that runs off of the substance contained in this." Coran patted the canister affectionately. "To use it, you turn this knob on and press this button. Put these on to protect your eyes." He handed her a pair of goggles she remembered seeing a few people who worked on the Castle use. "The laser will slice through the metal easily but you must take care not to let it touch you. That is a wound the pods will not be able to heal." Coran had warned her and made her promise to be careful, reminding her of the times when she was small and begging Coran to let her help him with the chores.

She placed the goggles over her eyes, turned the canister on and pressed the button on the handheld part of the device once she had it pointed towards the wall she wanted to cut in to. Coran was right in the fact that this laser was very powerful and she soon had a line cut from the floor to about three-quarters of the way up the wall. She carved a line along the floor next before making a line parallel to the first one. The moment she'd completely connected all sides, she heard shuffling on the other side of the wall and listened to her instinct to move to the side. She'd barely cleared the way when the section of wall she'd cut through slammed on to the floor where she'd been standing. She had thankfully let go of the button that activated the laser so no one got hurt and she twisted the knob back into the 'off' position before lifting her goggles up and looking at the aliens staring cautiously out from behind the massive alien who had obviously knocked the section of wall down.

"I am Princess Allura of Altea. Voltron and I are here to free you and stop the reign of terror Zarkon and Haggar have imposed on this universe." Allura made sure to keep her voice calm, soothing and non-threatening. The big alien serving as everyone else's body guard shifted slightly to block the others.

"How do we know you are who you claim to be? This wouldn't be the first time that witch has tried to trick us with a false rescue." The alien's rumbling voice sounded resigned. Allura looked him up and down to try and identify his species but she'd never come across someone who looked like him. He was slightly bigger than the opening she'd carved in the wall, forced to slouch slightly so he could see her. He was humanoid in shape but she was willing to bet that at full height, his arms would still lightly drag on the ground. He was covered in thick, green hair, the same shade as the Green Lion herself, and intelligent blue eyes with no pupil looked at her. He had sharp teeth that glinted whenever he opened his mouth and when his tongue flicked out to wet his lips, she saw it was bright red.

"Our scans showed that there were two humans in here. Can they please come forward? I promise I can give them information that will prove I'm real." Allura requested politely. The giant, green being shuffled slightly and two much smaller figures came to stand in front of him. The moment the younger of the two stood in the light, Allura gasped. "You look exactly like Pidge." She couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth but the shock and realisation of what she'd just said got through to them a lot quicker than anything else she might've said.

"You know Katie? How? Where is she?!" The older of the two men demanded, taking a step forward only to be held back by a large, green hand that Allura faintly noticed was tipped with large, sharp, forest-green claws. Several explosions hit Blue's shield and for the first time during this mission, Allura felt the Lion in her mind, urging her to hurry up.

"I can't explain here. It would take too long and it's far too dangerous right now. If you could please board the Blue Lion, I will take you to my Castle-Ship where I will explain everything and answer all questions." She looked at him pleadingly, silently imploring him to extend the trust she needed him to have. The two Holt's glanced at each other before turning to the big, green protector.

"We trust her. Let's get out of here." The older of the two said. There was a heart-stopping few moments where Allura thought the larger alien wouldn't trust their words but he did, moving towards Blue's ramp in large, steady steps. Dozens of aliens followed him quickly, glancing nervously between Blue, Allura and each other. There were no more than two of each alien race and those pairings were rare, with the vast majority of the aliens being completely different species. A few of the aliens needed help to board Blue and Allura made a mental note to alert Coran that the pods might be needed. Allura stepped into the room they'd been held to check for any stragglers and headed for Blue, satisfied that was everyone. The two humans were the last of the prisoners to board Blue and once Allura was in the pilot's seat, Blue closed her jaw.

"Is that everyone?" Allura turned to ask, wanting to be certain she wouldn't unwittingly leave someone behind.

"This is everyone who's survived the witch so far." The oldest Holt told her sadly and Allura felt her chest tighten at the thought of lives being lost so horribly.

Instead of trusting her voice, Allura simply nodded before facing forward and helping Blue out of the hole. The moment the Blue Lion started moving, her force field went down and she jerked when a shot landed. Blue roared and fired an ice beam at the string of fighters closest before Allura aimed her towards the Castle and opened the throttles completely. Blue shot forward, nearly becoming a blur in her haste to reach the Castle. The aliens behind her gasped at the sudden shift in speed and she felt two sets of hands grip the back of her pilot's chair and knew the two humans were responsible for it.

With the combined efforts of Blue and Coran at the Castle's helm, none of the fighters stood a chance and when two of the bigger ships tried to intercept her, Allura destroyed one while Coran took care of the second one. There were a few cheers from the alien passengers in Blue's cargo hold and Allura allowed herself a small smile.

"Coran, Blue and I are 15 ticks out. Have the main hangar open for us, please." She ordered and saw the doors open immediately as she and Blue headed straight for them. A clever fighter tried to sneak into the Castle while the door was open. Unfortunately for them, Blue landed right on top of them, crushing the small ship beneath her paws. Allura felt the almost sadistic satisfaction Blue felt when she did that. She turned to the group of aliens waiting for her instructions and knew Coran would have put the forcefield back up and would be making his way down to her as they spoke.

"When Blue has lowered her ramp, please make your way down and wait in front of her. If you see someone enter the hangar, please don't be alarmed. It will just be my adviser and the only other sole survivor of Altea, Coran." Allura told them, not wanting there to be any unpleasant surprises. "Please do not touch anything if you can help it. We don't want anyone getting hurt and I can't guarantee that everything aboard the Castle will be safe for your species. Those of you who may require medical attention will be offered it as soon as we can." She told them before giving Blue the silent okay to lower the ramp. Everyone listened to her instructions and filed out of Blue calmly. Allura followed them down and was greeted by Coran as soon as she stepped clear of Blue.

* * *

Blue waited patiently for the last person to step clear of her before she slammed her jaw shut and headed back for Zarkon's ship so she would be there if Lance needed her. She barely heard Allura's thanks as she manipulated the shield around the ship to let her through and she ignored any of the fighters that tried to get in her way, grabbing them with her jaw or simply bulldozing her way through them. She settled back next to Green and erected her shield as she waited for Lance or Edward to ask her to join them.

* * *

Allura didn't watch Blue leave as she was too busy trying to calm down the startled aliens gathered in front of her and Coran. "She is not my Lion. She merely allowed me to pilot her for the sole purpose of rescuing you all while her pilot fights against Haggar. She is now returning to wait for him. Please do not be alarmed." She kept her voice as calm as she could while projecting it loud enough to be heard over everyone.

"That was a Lion of Voltron, wasn't it?" One of the aliens, a petite, lavender purple, smooth skinned alien with antenna and four arms and legs, asked, blinking its disproportionately large green eyes up at her.

"Yes. That was the Blue Lion." Allura told them before addressing the group as a whole once more. "Those of you who require medical aid, would you please follow my adviser, Coran, to the medical wing?" Coran helpfully waved so they knew who he was. "The rest of you are welcome to follow me to a sitting area where you may wait until Coran and the others join you." Allura told them and received nods all around.

Coran followed her before branching off to lead the wounded to the medical wing while Allura continued straight ahead and lead the rest to the sitting area nearest the kitchens. Once everyone was settled – and Allura was pleased to find that the majority were still with her – she turned to face them once more.

"Should you require assistance before Coran is back, please press this button and speak into this here while holding the button down. Coran and I will hear you and will tend to you as soon as we are able. As I said before, as soon as your friends have been looked after, Coran will lead them here and stay with you unless I require his aid." Here Allura paused before collecting herself once more. "Please allow me to be the first to offer my sincerest sympathy at the horrendous way you have been treated and allow me to assure you that the Paladins of Voltron, as well as two equally powerful allies, are currently fighting against Zarkon and Haggar in hopes of ending this war today. While no words or actions will ever be enough to take away your hurt and anger, please know we are doing everything we can to make sure no one else suffers like you have." She told them.

"What of our families? Our planets?" An alien the same height but double her width asked. Their light pink skin wobbled slightly when they stepped forward and Allura noted it had no legs, merely a gelatinous form that allowed it to move like a slug. Their startling white eyes shone with worry and it clasped its hands together in front of its body.

"Coran will work with you to identify where you are from so we can work on either returning you home, liberating your planet or in the unfortunate event that your planet didn't survive the Galrans raiding it, we will find where your species has taken refuge and reunite you." Allura promised them. Several of the aliens seemed to relax slightly at her promise. "I must leave you now so I can continue assisting Voltron with this battle. Please don't hesitate to call if you need help." She bowed to them all before sweeping out of the room and hurrying towards the bridge.

She became aware that she was being followed fairly quickly and a glance over her shoulders proved her suspicion. The two humans were on her heels, so to speak. "You promised us answers about Katie." The elder Holt reminded her when they saw her looking at them.

"Of course. We can talk in the bridge. Please keep up." She told them as she quickened her pace. They were forced into a light trot to do so but they did keep up with her as she entered the bridge and took stock of the situation. Despite taking out hundreds of fighters by now, there were still thousands of them trying to blast through the Castle's shielding. They'd destroyed three of the larger ships but Allura could see another dozen, not counting Zarkon's ship, still waiting for their turn to take a shot.

Sighing at the seemingly never-ending supply of fighters and their persistent natures, Allura moved to her pedestal so she could unleash the full array of weapons the Castle possessed on them all. Placing her hands on the two poles in front of her, she channeled her power through them and felt the Castle respond instantly to her every request. The front half of the shielding came down and she fired hundreds of shots before bringing the shielding back up and allowing the Castle to gather more power before repeating the move. That one move took out dozens of fighters and crippled a larger ship in one go.

"I imagine you have questions." Allura said, addressing the two men for the first time since entering the bridge. "I promised answers and I will deliver. But first, may I know your names? Pidge and Shiro have spoken often about you but I would like to be able to place the name to the face." Allura asked, hands folded neatly in front of her.

"I'm Sam Holt, Katie's father. This is Matt Holt, Katie's brother and my son. Did you say Shiro spoke about us? Takashi Shirogane?" Sam asked and Allura nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. In fact, he is the reason the Paladins of Voltron were able to come about. Shall I start from the beginning?" Allura offered and both men nodded. "As you wish. I may have to take a few breaks in order to strike against the Galrans but I will tell you everything I can. Is that agreeable?" She asked and once again, received nods in agreeance. "Excellent. Now I'm assuming you know about Voltron so I needn't explain that to you. You see, a few of your Earth months ago…"


	16. Chapter 16

Mustang watched as the Blue Lion landed neatly on the deck below them before their view was cut off by the deck Shiro was aiming Black towards. As soon as the Black Lion set herself down on the deck, Shiro and Mustang were heading down the ramp she had nicely opened for them. They met Keith and Hunk, the latter of the two trying to hide his nerves, in front of their Lions and Shiro gave them a nod which was apparently a silent signal for them to follow him. The second they'd cleared the Lions, all three erected their shields around them and Mustang could feel them watching the four of them head into the ship to confront Zarkon.

Mustang couldn't help but worry about his subordinate before he forced himself to stop. Edward would be completely fine and he knew the blonde would tease him mercilessly if he ever found out that his commanding officer spent the time hunting for his teams' opponent worrying about him. They followed the instructions Ed had given them prior to leaving the ship and, thanks to Allura having Ed double-check before they landed, they knew he was still there. When they entered the room he was in – after slicing and shooting their way through dozens, if not hundreds, of robots hellbent on stopping them – they found him sitting on a throne, looking completely bored with everything.

"So the mighty Paladins of Voltron have decided to confront me once again? I must thank you for bringing my Lion back to me, false Black Paladin. As a show of my gratitude, I'll end your miserable lives quickly. Well," he grinned wickedly at them as he pulled himself to his feet, "maybe not  _too_  quickly. We want to have some fun, after all. Might even see if you're still worthy of being called 'Champion'." He sneered at Shiro, who clenched his prosthetic fist but otherwise didn't react. The massive Galran raised to full height and Mustang was reminded of Sloth, only purple, fluffy, lankier and meaner. "I see you've brought along an extra plaything for me. Are you hoping that the extra help of one more mere human would guarantee your success?" He asked mockingly.

"You know, I had a subordinate point out to me that most people who try to weaken their opponents' determination with verbal taunts and insults meant that they knew they were fucked and would lose in a straight up fight? So, is this your way of dealing with the knowledge that you'll be dead by the end of this fight?" Mustang asked coolly. He saw Keith, Shiro and Hunk stiffen slightly but he could also see their amusement through the fear they felt for him. Zarkon himself simply snarled at his words and took a threatening step forward.

"I will paint these floors with your blood and string you up so any who dare oppose me will think twice." He growled as he pulled out the black version of Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk's weapons. So that answered the question he hadn't bothered to ask Shiro during training about why he never used his bayard.

"We'll see." Mustang told him as everyone readied their own weapons. Hunk's mini-cannon, Keith's sword and Shiro's arm all armed and readied while the waited for Zarkon to make the first move.

Zarkon laughed at them as he held the black bayard out in front of him and let it glow before getting it to transform only to find it didn't. Frowning, the Galran tried again and again. After the third try, the weapon didn't even glow. Shiro and his three team members looked on in confusion and amusement as the Galran Emperor tried to get his weapon to take shape. Both former and current Black Paladins heard a chuckle reverberate through their bond before it went completely quiet on the Galran's side.

"She's cut her connection to the bayard. It's useless now." Shiro told them after a few moments of quiet where Black explained what was happening to it.

"The Lions can do that?" Hunk asked, looking at his bayard like he expected it suddenly stop working. Yellow sent him a comforting purr, assuring him she'd never turn his bayard off.

"Apparently." Shiro commented dryly as they watched Zarkon toss the useless bayard aside and unsheathe the sword he grabbed from near his throne.

"I don't need the black bayard to destroy the likes of you, you insignificant life forms." He told them, cape swishing behind him as he launched at them.

All four of them moved at the same time. Hunk backed away so he could be in the best position to take down any Galran soldiers who tried to come to Zarkon's aid while keeping the fight in his eye sight in case a shot where none of his teammates would be in the firing line appeared. Keith intercepted the first blow with his own sword while Shiro made to punch him using his glowing purple arm. Mustang held himself back, content with waiting for an opening of his own while looking around for anything he could use a weapon.

Upon spotting a thin, metal rod running diagonally along the wall, Mustang made his way over and eyed it up. Holding his fingers close to the metal, he snapped, igniting the hottest flame he could manage and used it to slice through the metal. Repeating the process twice more, he walked away with two identical, make-shift staffs that felt light but strong enough to hold up against a few blows.

Keith and Shiro were holding their own against Zarkon but only barely. Despite all their training, it was nothing compared to the 10,000 years Zarkon had to hone his own skills. But the longer he watched the match, the sooner he came to a realisation and he quickly joined in to try and see if his hypothesis would pan out.

* * *

Zarkon had managed to knock both the red and black Paladins back a few steps when the non-Paladin stepped in brandishing weapons of convenience. He blocked every blow Zarkon rained down on him but he was struggling by himself and they both knew it. By this stage, the red and black Paladins had gathered themselves back up and joined the fight once more. He knocked the human back harshly enough, the blow sent him flying back a good five metres so all he had to deal with now were the two Paladins.

Mustang landed harshly enough that he swore as he got back to his feet. He was too old for this and he knew it. Though, he reminded himself, he should never admit that in front of Edward. The smug 'I told you so' he'd get would be unbearable, not to mention the future teasing it would result in. He got to his feet finally and gathered both staffs back up and noticed how close he was to Hunk. He'd gotten enough data from his brief fight with Zarkon to come up with a halfway decent plan that had a higher chance of failing than succeeding but it was still more than they had right now.

* * *

Hunk watched as Keith and Shiro fought fiercely against Zarkon, refusing to give up whenever they got knocked back or down. He'd lost sight of Mustang for a few moments only to have the man turn back up wielding twin staffs he'd fashioned out of part of the ship. Mustang got in on the fighting and was holding Zarkon back by himself while Keith and Shiro shook off the last blow and got back in on the fight. The three of them were working so well together that Hunk had to remind himself that they didn't even know Mustang a week ago when Zarkon slipped a blow past Mustang defense and the alchemist landed near him, swearing as he climbed to his feet once more before noticing him and making his way over.

Shiro and Keith kept fighting Zarkon, matching each blow he aimed for them with one of their own. Both spared a quick hope that Mustang was alright after that hit but they had more pressing matters to deal with rather than worrying about him for the moment. They'd noticed Hunk hadn't fired any shots and they wondered where all the foot soldiers and robot sentries were and why they weren't trying to come to the aid of their emperor and creator but both were grateful they weren't. They had more than enough to deal with at the moment with only Zarkon.

Mustang explained his plan to Hunk in a hushed whisper, ignoring their helmet comms in exchange for complete privacy. Hunk looked two seconds from either freaking out completely or passing out but the boy swallowed down his nerves and nodded shakily, face almost grey. Mustang had to admire the guts Hunk had. Despite clearly wanting to be absolutely anywhere other than here, he was willing to put aside those feelings to help his team. The moment Hunk nodded, Mustang clapped a hand on the shoulder not holding up a mini-cannon and turned back to the fight at hand.

Zarkon laughed when he saw Mustang step back up to join in the fight the moment he could. "So you've not turned tail and run away? We'll see the difference your metal twigs make to this fight!" He roared as he swatted Keith down. The red Paladin landed heavily and for a moment, it looked like he wouldn't get back up again but he did. Mustang bought him some time to recover by joining Shiro and keeping Zarkon at bay for as long as possible.

Mustang's use of the two staffs meant he could defend and attack at the same time and he took full advantage of that by causing Zarkon's sword to scrape down one staff while bringing the other up to smash into the side of his head while the alien was already off balance. His attack half worked but he underestimated just how quickly Zarkon could readjust to having his attack end like that and he wrenched the staff coming for his head out of Mustang's hand and swiped at Shiro with it, forcing the black Paladin to back away rapidly. Zarkon let out a bark of laughter and sneered down at Mustang before letting out a scoff when all Mustang did was raise his hand up close to the Galran's face, fingers poised to snap.

"What is your plan now, little mortal?" Zarkon mockingly simpered only to let out a shriek when Mustang snapped and unleashed the hottest, most explosive fireball he could muster right in his face. Shiro darted in close and pulled Mustang out of the way as Zarkon started swinging his sword around aimlessly but trying to hit the alchemist. The Galran's helmet clattered to the ground, the force of the explosion having been so strong it blew it right off. Multiple blue energy shots fired in rapid succession were quick to hit the only unarmoured part of Zarkon; his head.

Chunks of blood, brain matter and skull fragments splattered onto the ground as Zarkon's corpse dropped like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut. Blood pooled rapidly from the wound and the only thing that Mustang could think was 'thank Truth he landed feet facing Hunk' as he looked at the body. The amount of shots that were fired and hit their target added to how much energy each contained meant there wasn't much left of the Galran Emperor's head. Hunk let out a horrified whimper and Shiro was the first at his side as the bigger boy collapsed in a heap, tears running down his face. His bayard glowed before transforming back into its standard form.

"I killed him, right? He's dead?" Hunk asked, voice thick with tears and fear. Mustang made his way over with Keith to where Hunk and Shiro sat on the floor.

"You did. I'm sorry I had to ask you to do that, Hunk. Believe me when I say I wish I could trade places with you." Mustang said, crouching in front of the younger boy and being forcibly reminded of his conversation with Edward after Harding. While he hadn't asked Edward to do what he did, he had wished the blonde hadn't been forced to.

"You asked him to do that?" Shiro asked, confused as to when he'd had the time.

"Yes. I realised after observing you two fighting him while I found myself some weapons that he wouldn't be easy to take down unless we managed to hit him with an attack that he'd never see coming. He'd had 10,000 years of training, after all." Mustang explained as he rubbed Hunk's shoulder. "My alchemy very well could have been our only shot, unless one of you had some sort of secret ability hidden up your sleeves. Fullmetal pointed out a while ago that my alchemy was only good for one surprise attack. If it failed the first time, my opponent could ready themselves for it during the rest of the fight. I also noted that his armour was doing an excellent job at protecting him from your blows. I imagine 10,000 years has given his people enough time to find a material to make his armour out of that would be nearly indestructible. So, what could I do in one move that would expose a weak spot for Hunk to exploit  _and_  would cause enough damage that Zarkon wouldn't recover quicker than Hunk could fire?" He asked and saw the realisation dawn on them.

"His helmet. If you could remove it, Hunk could take him out with one shot." Shiro said, voice somewhat awed. It really was an exceedingly simple plan when you put it that way and that was the other thing Mustang had realised. Zarkon had spent so long destroying opponent after opponent that anyone who tried to take him on would've started coming up with increasingly complex plans to try and defeat the warlord. Zarkon would've grown complacent in his abilities and would have grown to expect elaborate assassination plans that he would've forgotten that sometimes, simple really was the best plan.

"Exactly. The second thing I noticed was that he'd forgotten about Hunk, or at least assumed he was a minimal threat and could be dealt with after us." Mustang told them. "So when Zarkon had knocked me down the last time, I decided to see if the plan could work. Hunk agreed to do his best and he came through for us." Mustang squeezed the yellow pilot's shoulder which seemed to draw the boy out of his staring contest with Zarkon's feet.

"I killed him." He whispered once more. Mustang and Shiro shared a look before Mustang nodded to Shiro to take the lead with this one.

"I need to take care of the body. Why don't the three of you wait in the corridor?" Mustang suggested, face pinching at the thought of what he still had to do. The offer would mean that none of them would have to watch what he had to do and Shiro could talk to Hunk without the body of the alien he just killed in the same room as him.

"Come and find us when you're done." Shiro said, helping Hunk up with Keith's aid. Once Hunk was steady, Keith ducked out from under his arm and scooped up the black bayard before heading back to help his friends. The red Paladin hadn't spoken since Zarkon had been killed but Mustang wasn't surprised. He just hoped Shiro took the boy aside as well to make sure he was alright. He watched as the three of them left the room and were out of sight before he turned to the body and steeled himself for what he had to do.

The first thing was getting the Galran out of the armour he was wearing. Mustang had noted the helmet he'd blown off his head was still intact and barely singed so he knew it had an extremely high melting point and he wasn't in the mood to run some tests with it to see if he could produce a flame hot enough. Once the armour was off and Zarkon lay there, missing the top half of his head and dressed solely in his under-armour, Mustang grabbed a section of it and created a small flame. The material didn't burn but melted instead. Taking a few steps back and double checking the exit the three Paladins had gone through, Mustang concentrated on summoning a flame similar to the one he used to create his twin staffs. Once he was confident he had it, he snapped and sent the flame straight for the body in front of him, holding it until the entire corpse was alight.

He stood there, watching the body burn, the god-awful scent wafting towards him and making his stomach roil as he struggled against flashbacks to Ishval, his fight against Lust and the way he nearly lost control with Envy, using his flames in a way far too close to the behaviour he'd sworn he'd never fall into, nearly forcing Hawkeye to honour their deal in front of Edward. He watched as the flames in front of him devoured the body hungrily and quickly. Far sooner than he thought, the body was reduced to ashes and chunks of bone that hadn't crumbled under the intensity of the flames. He considered them for a moment before using one of Edward's favourite tricks and deconstructed the remains until there was nothing visible left except the scorch mark.

He strode out of the room and down the corridor in search of his teammates. He found them tucked into a large alcove in a group hug that seemed to have been initiated by Hunk, if they way he'd gathered the other two to himself was any indication. Keith was the first to spot him, tapping on Shiro's shoulder to get the older boy's attention. Shiro, in turn, patted Hunk's shoulder to get him to let them go so they could breathe and talk at the same time.

"It's done." Was all Mustang said. No one questioned him and for a few moments, all they did was stand there to let the fact that Zarkon was now no longer a threat of any sort sink in.

"Let's go and see if the others need any help. I haven't heard anything over the comms." Shiro said decisively. Suddenly, the soft sound of something racing towards them could be heard ahead of them and all four stepped out, weapons at the ready. Mustang noted Shiro didn't draw the bayard he knew was now part of his armour.

They didn't have more than a second to realise the three things running for them weren't threats when the three Paladins were tackled by their respective Lions. Hunk immediately clung to Yellow's neck as she brought one massive paw and leg up to wrap around his side and back to hug him even closer. Red and Black were giving their Paladins a once over to make sure they were in one piece and were pleasantly surprised to note no major injuries on anyone. In fact, the worst injury the group had accumulated was the jarred shoulder Mustang had gotten when he was thrown back by Zarkon. Everyone else had slight cuts and a lot of bruises but nothing worse than that.

Black and Red let their Paladins up almost immediately after confirming they were in one piece and getting a hug from them. Yellow refused to let her cub go until he was ready and from the way his tears soaked her fur, it might be some time yet. The others were content to wait for Hunk to be able to keep going. None of them were strangers to needing comfort after something bad happened, though it was much more of a foreign concept for Keith than the others, having rarely gotten comfort after his dad died until he'd been thrown into space. He was slowly getting used to getting and giving comfort now.

Despite his anxiousness to make sure Edward was still alive, Mustang stayed where he was and waited for Hunk. He was, after all, partially responsible for why the boy was currently clinging to his Lion like she was a teddy bear. It didn't take much longer for Hunk to squeeze Yellow one more time and gently push her back. A quick wipe of each cheek to get rid of any lingering tears and he heaved himself to his feet, using Yellow as a crutch slightly. He simply nodded his head at the questions about whether he was alright.

"How are we gonna find Lance and the others? He asked, voice scratchy from disuse and tired from his crying.

"The Lions will track Edward, right?" Shiro asked Black, who rolled her eyes and gave him a look that told him that was a stupid question. The black Paladin held his hands up in mock surrender, grinning slightly as Hunk huffed a laugh at their antics.

All three Lions headed down the hall and after sharing a look, the humans were quick to follow suit. After a quick moments discussion, Shiro got onto the comms with the Castle and relayed the news that Zarkon had been permanently dealt with and that they'd give their report in more detail when they were back on the Castle. Once he relayed that they were on their way to assist the second team, he got off the comms.

They were only a couple of levels down when they found themselves joined by the two missing Lions. The sight of Blue and Green in flesh form and in an obvious rush to join their Paladins had everyone picking up pace in order to get to their teammates as quickly as possible. The doorway was sealed shut somehow but Hunk and Mustang joined forces and made quick work of it, forcing the door to blow into little pieces with a combination of Hunk's mini-canon and a ball of fire from Mustang. The moment the door was reduced to shards, they forced their way into the room and froze at the sight that greeted them.

* * *

Even though she was wounded, Haggar didn't give them any more opportunities to get the drop on her easily. She kept it up with the purple lightning strikes and clones. She mimicked voices of people she must have plucked right out of their heads because there was no way she knew what Alphonse or Winry sounded like. There were numerous other voices, some female, some male, a few speaking in a language like what Lance could speak so he knew he wasn't the only one being affected by her. It helped to have Blue and Green taking turns in his head to remind him the voices weren't real and he knew they were doing the same for their own Paladin.

Haggar seemed to grow even more feral the longer it took to strike them down. With every trick she threw at them, they retaliated with an attack of their own. Neither side was gaining an inch over the other and it became apparent to Ed that Haggar wasn't the only one growing frustrated by it. Pidge's moves were starting to get sloppy like they did whenever she sparred against him or Lance and he had seen Lance hesitate for a fraction of a second before taking a shot. The delay hadn't caused any issues yet but if they grew more pronounced, they would.

Lance aimed a shot for Haggar's injured right shoulder once more and Ed tapped the ground to produce a spike a split second after Lance fired the shot so that when Haggar twisted to her left to dodge the shot, she'd impale herself on the spike. The plan worked and the screech Haggar let out when her calf muscle was torn through brought a dark satisfied feeling to Ed's heart. He regrouped with the other two.

"Don't start getting frustrated or anxious now. Focus. We knew this was going to be a long, difficult fight but we cannot present any opportunities for her to get the drop on us. We need to wear her down, not the other way around." He told them, perhaps a tad harsher than necessary but the harsh tone must've gotten through to them because the frustration, annoyance and doubt in their eyes vanished and was replaced by determination and resolve.

By the time Haggar partially healed her newest injury, she was face-to-face with three enemies with their desire to end this fight relit. She snarled as she hurled a desperate attack of lightning straight for them, lips curling back even more when her attack missed completely. Ed could feel Blue and Green in his mind, asking for permission to join them and he saw his teammates eyes flick towards him and he knew the Lions had asked their permission only to be told to await his orders. A subtle nod of his head was all that was needed for the two Paladins to relay that permission had been given and the knowledge that they'd soon have back up caused them to breathe a touch easier.

It was a joint moment of weakness that lasted the amount of time it took to blink but it was all the time the enraged Haggar needed to send her biggest and deadliest attack at them yet. She hovered above them and gathered her energy before releasing it in three directions in the form of her lightning. Not just one strike for each opponent but multiple strikes to hit where they were standing and area immediately surrounding them. Lance and Edward saw her attack coming and managed to get out of the way with no time to spare though Lance cursed as he dropped his bayard. The attack aimed at Lance missed by a hairs width. Pidge was not as lucky and her pained scream sent chills down both boys spines as they turned to watch her fall to the ground in a graceless heap.

"PIDGE!" Lance screamed her name and headed for his fallen teammate, only to be bodily tackled by Edward and slam into the ground with the blonde just as another strike of lightning hit where he would've been.

"Stay behind me." Ed ordered as he faced the witch, fury blazing in his golden eyes, promising all sorts of pain on the once-Altean. "Green says she's still breathing so keep a cool head so we don't die before we can help her. When I give the word, head straight for Pidge. I'll cover you." Haggar's cackles were drowning out their conversation and were slowly turning more manic with every passing moment. Ed felt Lance squeeze his left shoulder in confirmation and he slowly moved towards his fallen team member, moving as though he thought if did so slow enough, Haggar wouldn't see him.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Haggar screeched, all sense of decorum gone. What they were left facing was a truly insane Haggar, one who wanted to end them no matter the cost.

Ed pushed them backwards as she struck at them with more lightning before she yelled in frustration and flew straight for Edward. The blonde pushed Lance towards Pidge and out of Haggars path and true to the plan, Lance didn't look back, eyes trained on Pidge. Just as he slid to his knees and stopped next to her head, a large shelter erected itself around them. His blue eyes followed the fading crackle of energy to where he could see Ed laying, Haggar looming over him. That's when Lance realised that Ed had sacrificed the only time he had to protect himself from the witch so that he could protect them instead.

Ed barely noticed Lance's shout of his name when his vision was filled with Haggar's crazed eyes and he felt her cool hand grasp his chin cruelly and lift him back up to his feet. Her nails clawed their way into his chin and cheek and he could feel his own blood trickle warmly down his throat as she forced him to stand on his toes to try and lessen how far her nails made their way into his flesh. She dragged him so they were barely three inches apart and she moved her nails so they dug viciously into him further. He refused to show her any pain though.

"You are pathetic like the rest of them. I'll enjoy having you strapped to my table and finding out just how you work. I wonder how long it would take to make you scream so much your vocal cords tear themselves apart? Do you think I'll find a way to get to your home world in your mind? Maybe once you can no longer scream, I'll pay a little visit and drag your precious little brother and your sweet little mechanic friend back and see if I can't make you scream even more as I force you to watch me tear them apart bit by bit." Haggar's malicious words were whispered intimately as she forced him to keep eye contact with her. She wanted to watch him become afraid of her, to realise just how hopeless his situation was. "Before I do that, maybe I'll take my time with the Paladins and your precious Alteans, hmm?" She crooned, moving her other hand up to tuck a lock of blonde hair behind his ear in a cold imitation of care. She was so caught up in her desire to see the fear shine in his eyes that she never heard the footsteps racing towards them from behind the door she'd sealed earlier in the battle to ensure her prey wouldn't escape. "Who do you think would break first? Little Green? The heart of Voltron, your blue Paladin? Maybe the half-Galran? I am so skilled at making Galran's fall to their knees and beg for mercy. Maybe it'll work the same way for the half-breed or do you think his human half will make him more resilient? I already know how my champion ticks but maybe I'll see if I can't find some new buttons." She mused, eyes glinting malevolently as she spoke.

Edward still refused to show her any fear. He had been threatened by so many people, kidnapped and tortured more times than he could count that he knew that this, Haggar telling him her plans with the soft, pain-promising voice she was using while causing him further pain by digging her nails in deeper and twisting them inside the wound, it was a way for her to try and break him and start the suffering sooner. So he refused to react, to give her what she was seeking.

Haggar realised she wasn't going to get what she was hoping for and growled as she ripped her nails out of his chin and cheek viciously before wrapping her fingers around his throat, digging her already bloody nails into the soft flesh there and causing him to flinch with the pain he felt but he still showed her no other signs of pain. She never heard the door blasting into little pieces from behind her but Ed could see everything from over her shoulder.

* * *

The Lions burst into the room, Blue and Green beelining for their Paladins immediately while everyone else gathered behind the three remaining Lions. Haggar's grip tightened slightly around Ed's throat and he could feel his lungs straining to get the air they so desperately needed. The witch still hadn't noticed the others arrival, busy forcing her nails deeper into Ed's neck while tightening her grip, nails digging in torturous and slow, watching intently for the moment the panic and fear set in.

Shiro was the first through the door after the Lions and his eyes were immediately drawn to the crumpled form of the youngest Paladin and the blue Paladin hovering over her protectively while looking at something past the edge of the shelter that had been constructed over them. Lance didn't show any signs that he'd even noticed their arrival, his blue eyes were glued to a scene that Shiro had nightmares about dozens of times. The only differences were that he was wide awake and Edward was the one in Haggar's clutches as opposed to one of his team.

The black Paladin could see the trickles of blood running down Edward's chin, cheek and his collarbone from where Haggar was no doubt digging her nails into the flesh on his neck as she slowly strangled him. The witch was standing with her back to them and there was no gloating or other sign she'd heard them. No one moved for three full heartbeats before Shiro sprinted for Edward, Galran prosthetic lighting up as he lined his fingers up and thrust his hand straight through Haggar's back, tearing through her spine, heart, sternum and out the front of her chest, hand glowing eerily from in between her breasts, blood and bits of flesh trickling off his fingertips. At the same time as he moved, Edward had raised his blade and struck her straight through her throat, metal glinting dully from the back of her neck, rivulets of her blood running down the blade and pooling onto her robe.

* * *

Mustang had moved only seconds after Shiro did so he was the first one at their side. He pulled Edward's automail arm away from Haggar, sliding the blade back out of her throat and listened to the sickening gurgle she gave as she choked on her own blood before whatever magic or quintessence she had stored to keep her alive failed her. Mustang helped Shiro pull her corpse off his arm and spared him a momentary glance to see if he was alright. At Shiro's nod, he turned his attention back to his subordinate.

"Fullmetal?" He kept his voice unusually soft as he called Edward's name. The blonde was staring at Haggar's corpse so Mustang gripped his arms lightly and turned him so his back was to her. "Edward?" He called again and he saw the moment the blonde came back to himself. He tried to glance behind him but Mustang placed a hand carefully on his cheek, cautious of his injury, to stop him from doing so.

"Mustang?" Ed sounded confused as he tried to figure out what happened. Then he caught sight of his automail blade, covered in still-wet blood and looked back at his commanding officer, whose eyes were full of understanding and empathy. "Mustang, what happened? Why is my blade covered in-?" He choked to a stop as his throat protested the rapidly spoken words. At least, that's what he told himself when he couldn't bring himself to finish his question.

"You stabbed her just as Shiro got to you. Both of you took her out." Mustang explained and watched as everything came back to Ed suddenly. He kept his grip on the blonde's arms just in case he reacted violently.

"I stabbed her through the throat, didn't I? And Shiro speared her through the chest with his arm, right?" Ed asked, voice hitching a little as he recalled the moment he felt her throat give way to his blade. Even her spine didn't stop the blade on its path. It had been like tearing through tissue paper. The blood still on his automail glinted wetly and he could see some droplets sluggishly roll their way off his blade. "I need to get the blood off, Mustang. I ne-need to g-get the blood off." Ed struggled against the grip his commanding officer had on him. He could feel himself getting slightly hysterical and he knew he shouldn't lose it like this, not in front of Mustang, but he couldn't stop himself. "Let me go. I h-have to clean – I have to get rid of the bl-blood!"

"Edward." Mustang tried to get him to stop and listen. He could see the hysteria building up in Edward. While Harding had been the first person to die as a direct result of Edward's decision, Haggar was the first person he'd actually killed with his own hands. "Fullmetal!" He said, using his sternest voice and it had the intended effect. Edward ceased trying to escape his hold and was watching him with wide eyes. "Listen to me. You need to calm down for a few moments." Mustang went back to the calm voice he'd been using previously. "Use your cleaning array on your blade." He ordered and waited for the blonde to do so before nodding. "Okay, now transmute your blade back." He instructed and again, Edward followed the order without question. Mustang decided he didn't like him not arguing.

Edward dimly knew he really shouldn't be following Mustang's orders without any sort of fight or at least a sarcastic remark but he couldn't find the energy to do so. It was like all the fight and hysteria had left him the moment Mustang had used his State Alchemist title in a tone that was only used when Edward was being particularly insubordinate. The moment his blade disappeared back into his arm, he felt himself being yanked forward and enveloped in a hug. It took him a few moments to react but soon enough, he was clinging as tightly to his commanding officer as he was to him. His fists tightened their grip on Mustang's under-armour and he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't cry because he refused to shed tears for that bitch but he could still feel them building behind his eyes. Yet he still refused to shed them, not willing to show anymore weakness than he already had.

* * *

Mustang felt Edward grip the back of his under-armour tighter and responded in kind by tightening his embrace a little more. He watched as Shiro dragged Haggar's corpse away from where it had lain at Edward's feet before he joined Keith and Hunk where they were crouched near Lance and Pidge. Hunk was trying get Lance to step away for a few moments so he could check him for injuries but the Cuban refused to leave Pidge's side. It took Shiro's order to get him to do so and the moment Hunk finished, he was back next to the green Paladin, keeping an eye on her vitals. Keith looked Mustang's way before glancing at Shiro and murmuring something to him, eyes flicking between him and Mustang, looking worried. Shiro shook his head and Keith stopped but his worried expression didn't leave him. Shiro clapped him on the shoulder before exchanging words with Lance, who kept watching Pidge carefully but seemed to be responding to Shiro nevertheless. Finishing their quick talk, Shiro nodded before getting to his feet and heading for Mustang. Black followed with no hesitation.

"How is he?" Shiro asked the moment he was standing next to them. Black had taken it upon herself to offer as much comfort as possible and leant against Ed's right side, head leaning on his shoulder so she could nuzzle his uninjured cheek.

"In shock, I think." Mustang told him honestly. "That was the first time he's actually taken a life himself. He'll be alright, though." Mustang was absolutely sure about that. "How's Pidge?" He asked.

"She'll be alright, She might need a stint in the healing pod but we'll see what Coran says. Lance is worried about how the lightning may have affected her heart and nervous system but Green is adamant that she's alright. Lance still doesn't want to risk moving her until Coran's scanned her using her armour so I'm about to get onto the comms with them. Hopefully we'll be out of here shortly." Shiro told him, sighing slightly. His prosthetic arm was still coated in blood and other bits of the witch but he had no way to deal with it right now.

Ed wasn't paying a lot of attention to what the two of them were talking about. His mind was still playing over the moment his blade pierced Haggar's neck. Watching Shiro's arm protrude from her chest had been sickening but it was nothing compared to watching himself slice through her neck like it was nothing. He could feel Black nudging his cheek with her nose and he turned his head slightly, wincing as his injured cheek rubbed against the uncomfortable chest plate of Mustang's armour, to meet her eyes.

" _Oh, little alchemist. You can't keep torturing yourself like this. That witch got exactly what she deserved. I just wish I could've taken your place."_  Black pressed her nose further into his cheek as she skimmed the surface of his mind.  _"You can't let her have this little victory."_ Black pleaded slightly.

"I know. Rationally, I know she deserved it. I told you all myself that she and Zarkon couldn't be talked down, that their energy was so twisted and dark that there was no hope." Ed used their bond to talk, not wanting Shiro or Mustang to hear his thoughts. "I know that killing her was the only way to make sure she would never hurt someone else the same way she hurt Shiro but I never wanted to kill anyone. I made it through five years of being a military dog without killing someone and there were a few people who probably would've deserved it and she was worse than all of them put together but…" He trailed off, not really knowing where he was going with that train of thought.

" _But she was still alive and you were the one to end that."_  Black finished for him and he nodded, the movement irritating his cheek and neck and caused Mustang to tighten his grip a little. He might actually owe the man for not teasing him right now. Maybe he won't tell Miss Riza about why he ended up in this universe.

Ed heard Shiro say something about talking to Coran and Allura and Mustang nodded and said something in return. Black didn't move from her spot against Ed's side and he was grateful for her weight and warmth. It was helping ground him and stop him from getting too far into his own head. Black spent the few minutes it took Shiro to talk to the Alteans comforting Edward, pulling him from his thoughts every time she felt him drift too close to Haggar's death or something equally as traumatising that he shouldn't be thinking about at this moment in time.

They both heard Shiro walk away, presumably back to the others, but Mustang made no move to let Edward go. Meanwhile, Ed continued trying to pull himself together enough that he wouldn't feel like he was falling apart when he and Mustang did separate. He'd never say it out loud but Mustang's hugs were almost as good as Alphonse's, now that his younger brother was able to put some strength behind his hugs. He heard Shiro walk back towards them after a few minutes and took in a deep breath before pulling away from Mustang. He couldn't stay like this forever and he knew it so he forced any emotion that wouldn't help him function properly down deep so he could deal with them later. But he didn't pull away from Mustang just yet. He'd allow himself to show just a bit more weakness until Shiro got to them and then he'd deal with everything.


	17. Chapter 17

Shiro and Mustang both noticed Ed's body language when Shiro approached. The blonde was obviously trying to steady himself and force himself to be as close to his normal self as possible before he had to face anyone. Shiro stopped just within arms reach of the two alchemists, which seemed to be the cue Edward was waiting for to say it was time to face the world again.

"You doing alright, Ed?" Shiro asked gently as the blonde took a step back from Mustang, though it wasn't much of a step since Black refused to leave his side. The wounds on his cheek and neck and pretty much stopped bleeding but the blood on his face was a smeared mixture of his own and Haggar's.

"Probably as good as can be expected." Ed shrugged. "I'll get over it." His eyes caught the pool of blood marring the floor behind Shiro and followed the smear marks out one of the doors and knew her body was on the other side, just out of sight. He was grateful to whoever moved her corpse so he wouldn't have to see it. He probably wouldn't have reacted well to that.

"I have to go take care of her remains." Mustang said, drawing Ed's attention back to him. The concern on his face made Ed almost stagger under the weight of it. "Why don't you go with Shiro and have Lance clean up those injuries? Make sure they're nothing to worry about?" He suggested. Ed knew what he was doing and he wasn't prideful enough to go against the suggestion just because. So, he nodded and with a final squeeze of his shoulder, Mustang followed the blood smear out into the other corridor.

"Do you want me to clean that for you?" Ed asked just as Shiro went to head for the others. At his look of confusion, Ed gestured to his still bloodied arm.

"Oh." Shiro glanced at Edward's own prosthetic and he couldn't find any blood of it, his glove or his armour. "If you could, please. It's not very hygienic." Shiro said as he held his arm out to the blonde. Ed simply nodded, clapped his hands and pressed them to the tips of Shiro's fingers. Blue energy crackled and raced up his arm and when it dissipated, the blood and gore was all gone. "Thank you." Shiro said as he wriggled his fingers, pleased they weren't clogged anymore.

"Don't worry about it. I offered." Ed shrugged and went to go around the blood pool that was slowly congealing and drying at the edges. Black pulled away from him to let him move but Shiro grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No – well, yes, thank you for that but that's not what I was thanking you for." Shiro stumbled a bit at first but smoothed at after the first hurdle. "Lance told me what happened after Pidge got hit. I was thanking you for helping Lance get to her without getting hurt and for protecting them both once Lance got to her. He told me you could've used the time it took to construct the barricade to attack her but you chose them. So, thank you." Shiro squeezed his forearm where he still gripped it. Ed twitched when he heard a distinctive snap from the other corridor.

"No problems." Ed said, giving Shiro a small smile which the elder man returned before he led the blonde over to the others. Black walked on Edward's other side as Shiro shifted his hand from Ed's forearm to around his shoulders.

Keith spotted them first but Hunk was the first one to get to them. He grabbed Ed by the shoulders and tried to smother him with a hug. Yellow joined in with no hesitation only to be shoved aside lightly a few moments later when Hunk accidentally pushed her away when he held Ed at arm's length to look at his injuries.

"I'm not as skilled with the medical stuff as Lance is but I should be able to clean you up." Hunk told him, looking at him with far too much understanding for Ed to not realise why.

"You're the one who ended Zarkon?" He asked, causing Hunk to wince and nod before the larger boy hauled him over to where the medpack Lance had prepared and carried was laying.

"Yeah. I'm gonna need months of therapy to get over that." Hunk said as he made Ed sit. "Are the wounds on your face and neck the only injuries you have?" Hunk asked, eyeing the angry red claw marks and slightly purple ring of bruising on Ed's neck.

"I'm probably bruised to all hell and I might have a slight concussion from the attack that separated me and Lance." Ed told him. He could see Lance was paying attention but was as surprised as Hunk when the blue Paladin tapped on the yellow Paladin's shoulder.

"Switch with me. Keep an eye of her breathing. I'll look after Ed." Lance said. Hunk looked torn between listening to his friend and helping his other friend but the fact that Lance had more medical knowledge and wouldn't likely mix up the products won out and, after giving Ed a reassuring smile, he did as he was asked.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ed asked once Lance was situated in front of him.

"Yeah, Coran said we can move her whenever we're ready. Green will stay in flesh form and stay with her. I think the plan is to have Blue and I take her." Lance told him as he dug through the medpack and found the cleansing wipes he was after. He started wiping the blood from Edward's face, half expecting a protest from him but receiving none. "How do you feel? Physically?" Lance asked as he methodically cleaned the cast-off blood caused by the shot to Haggar's shoulder. Blue had wandered over by that stage and lay her head in Ed's lap while she curled up around Lance, careful to avoid getting in her pilot's way.

"Fine." Ed shrugged a shoulder. "I've come out of sparring sessions with my brother in worse condition." He said, much to Lance's exasperation.

"You said you might have a slight concussion, right?" Hunk called out helpfully from where he sat next to Pidge's head. The overhang of the shelter Ed constructed was making him have to duck a little and Ed noticed. A deliberate placing of his palm to the floor sent blue energy racing for the barricade before the material melted back into the floor it was originally part of. "Thank you!" Hunk grinned at him as he sat a little comfier next to Pidge. Ed just nodded at his thanks before glancing at Lance, only to be greeted with his eyebrow raised in a question.

"Yeah. I  _might_  have a  _slight_  concussion." Ed reiterated, emphasising the important words. Blue huffed out a laugh, looking at Lance innocently when he glared at her playfully.

"We'll keep an eye on you but I imagine you already know how to handle a concussion and what signs to look out for." Lance sighed as he finished cleaning the blood splatter off Ed's face and focused on cleaning out the wounds. The wounds Haggar's nails created looked deep and painful. She had torn through his skin and muscles, almost down to the bone in a couple of places. He remembered the defiant expression on Ed's face as Haggar held onto him, refusing to show the slightest amount of pain and his respect for the blonde grew exponentially. He knew he wouldn't have lasted that long. "Turn your head to the right so I can look at your neck, please." He ordered. Ed complied. The wounds on his neck were slightly less severe as the others but only slightly.

"Yeah, I know what to do." Ed said in response to his comment about the concussion. He winced a little as Lance accidentally pressed on his bruised neck.

" _Lo siento."_  Lance murmured as he continued his work. Once he was satisfied the wounds were as clean as they were going to get – which was pretty clean considering they were ragged, not clean-cut – he grabbed for the things he needed to put stitches in.

"Do you have to do stitches?" Ed asked, eyeing the gear warily. Lance considered it and his other gear for a moment.

"I could put some of the numbing jelly on them and there's some superglue? I guess that's probably the thing it's the closest too so let's go with that. I can spread some of the speedy-heal stuff on then I can put butterfly bandages over them. The bandages are really cool. They change colour if there's an infection building or when they sense the wound doesn't need them anymore." Lance offered as an alternative.

"That sounds a lot better." Ed said gratefully. "I hate stitches. I always manage to rip them out." He explained as Lance packed away the stitching gear and grabbed the items he wanted.

"Do I even want to know how you manage that?" Lance asked, a tad exasperated. His response garnered a small grin from the blonde. He huffed a laugh as he shook his head. "You're worse than Keith, I swear." He told him.

"Hey! I heard that!" The red Paladin scowled at them both.

"It wasn't like I was whispering." Lance told him, grinning as his scowl deepened before he turned back to his patient. "Hold still while I use the superglue stuff, okay?" He said and Ed nodded before holding himself as still as possible. Lance had him tip his head back before placing a few drops into each wound track and pressing on them lightly so the glue would do its job. After a couple of seconds, Ed could look at Lance once more and the blue Paladin got to work applying the numbing jelly and speedy-heal goop before covering each injury with a butterfly bandage. The moment they were applied to the skin, the bandages turned blue, indicating each wound was clean but unhealed.

" _Appropriate colour."_  Blue smirked as she watched him apply each bandage.

"You're easily pleased." Lance told her. "I'll do your neck now, okay?" He asked Ed, who just nodded. "Thankfully, they aren't as bad. You won't need bandages or glue, just the numbing jelly and speedy-heal goop. I'll put some of the bruise-healing spray on your neck as well." Lance explained, waited for the nod then started gently applying the numbing jelly, speedy-healer then finally sprayed the anti-bruise onto his neck. "All done." He announced once he was satisfied Ed wasn't likely to bleed out or anything.

"Thanks, Lance." Ed said, tentatively feeling his neck. Everyone looked over when a sudden noise sounded from them other side of the room only for them to relax when Mustang appeared.

"Everything's done." He said as he joined back up with them, standing next to Ed before he crouched down and scrutinised Lance's work.

"Then we can go. I think we've pressed our luck long enough. The fact that we haven't had any Galran foot soldiers or robot sentries attack us is a miracle but I doubt it'll last much longer." Shiro said, frowning a little as he realised that they actually hadn't had to fight anyone after Zarkon and Haggar were taken care of.

"Green says that Pidge rewired a robot to go and infect the system that controls them. It downloaded a virus into that system that overwrote the code that had them fight for the Galra and rewrote it so they'd fight  _against_  them instead." Ed revealed. "I imagine they're pretty busy at the moment." He said.

"Pidge is getting all the space peanut butter cookies I can make." Hunk said as everyone else sat there in stunned silence.

"Let's not waste the opportunity she's given us. Follow your Lions to the nearest exit and get back to the ship. Do not engage with anyone unless necessary. Lance, is Pidge travelling with you?" Shiro asked as everyone gathered any items they'd dropped that they needed. Hunk handed Lance his bayard.

"Thanks, Hunky-Bear." He said, placing the bayard in his armour. "And yes, Shiro, she'll travel with me and Ed. He can keep an eye on her breathing for me." He said, gathering the medical gear up and placing the bag back over his shoulder. Ed's helmet was handed back to him by Mustang and he placed it on, wincing as it scraped his neck wounds lightly.

"You good with that, Ed?" Shiro asked. Ed nodded. "Mustang?" The man considered for a moment.

"I'll travel with Hunk, if that's alright with him?" He asked. Hunk looked shocked but gave the okay.

"Alright. Let's go than." Shiro ordered before heading for the blown apart door with Black. Lance scooped Pidge up and Green trotted next to Edward while everybody else followed Shiro's lead before they split up to find different spots to take off from.

* * *

Edward followed Lance while Blue and Green kept the lead. They were on high alert in case anyone came across them but thankfully whatever magic Pidge had worked on the robot sentries had kept them busy enough for no one to spot Blue transform, Green and the three humans board her and leave the moment she closed her jaw.

Ed kept an eye on Pidge while Lance piloted Blue through the remaining fighters and debris scattered around them. "Did you see where she was hit?" Lance suddenly asked him and Ed thought back to the moment Haggar hit them at once.

"No, I don't think so." Ed said as all he could remember was diving to the side as quickly as possible while protecting his head. Lance sighed.

"Me neither. I'm worried about burns but unless the lightning managed to find a weak point in the armour, it should've been dispersed by her armour. Like a plane when it gets struck by lightning. But if that happened, she shouldn't be unconscious. Unless there's a limit to the voltage the armour can withstand and Haggar's lightning exceeded it?" Ed recognised his rambling for what it was; his way of dealing with his worry. "If the armour took most of the strike than we probably won't have to be worried about cardiac or neurological problems. Green told Blue that her heartbeat wasn't worrisome and she never seized so it's likely that neurological problems are likely but until she wakes up, I don't know. Can you see scorch marks on the armour? I never looked." Lance asked and Ed did as he was bid.

"Yeah, it looks like there's some on the back of her shoulder and the bottom of her boot." Ed reported back and Lance nodded.

"Good. That means the lightning exited the armour. We won't have to worry about that if someone not wearing armour touches it." Lance said. "This is Lance. Open the main hangar please." Ed's brow furrowed before he realised Lance wasn't talking to him. He didn't hear the reply but soon they were back in the hangar. They made it back in less time than Ed had thought it would take. To be fair though, Ed had also thought the remaining Galran fighters would've put a bit more effort in stopping them but they didn't. Those that had had been swiftly dealt with by Blue.

Lance left the pilot's chair, pulled his helmet off and attached it to where Pidge's had been clipped once they'd boarded Blue. He gave Ed a quick, reassuring smile as he gathered Pidge back up and headed down Blue's ramp, followed quickly by Green and Ed. Once they'd all stepped off Blue's ramp, she glowed and transformed back into her flesh form. They headed straight for the med bay where they'd been told that Coran was awaiting their arrival.

"Ah, Lance, Edward, there you are. Bring her over here so I can scan her properly." Coran greeted them the moment they stepped foot in the infirmary. Ed noted several of the pods had aliens of all descriptions in them, leaving only three spare pods. Lance placed Pidge carefully on the only empty bed left before backing away so Coran could work his magic. He scanned her, checking his tablet as he moved the scanner down the body, nodding and humming as whatever he saw on the screen. He repeated the process on her other side before doing extra scans of her abdomen before turning the scanner off and placing it on the closest flat surface. "She's perfectly fine. The armour deflected most of the strike like I thought it had." He went to continue but Lance interrupted him.

"So why is she unconscious?" He asked before recoiling and giving Coran an apologetic look when the Altean leveled him with a reprimanding look. "Sorry." He said meekly.

"Don't apologise for being worried for your teammate, Lance! It's proof of how close you are." Coran informed him cheerfully. The aliens in the beds and chairs next to them were watching them curiously but Ed paid them no mind. "As I was saying; I believe her unconscious state was brought about by the lightning initially. It was likely very strong so when it knocked her down, she hit her head hard and fell unconscious. Her body was exhausted, likely from pulling several of her famous all-nighters and has taken this opportunity to recuperate." Coran told them, grinning like he'd given them the best news ever. Which, well considering what could've happened, it was however…

"You're telling us she's  _asleep_?!" Lance exclaimed and Coran nodded, oblivious to Lance's semi-crisis and Green's thorough amusement at the blue Paladin's reaction.

"Indeed, she is!" Coran said delightedly before turning on them. "She can stay here until she wakes up but neither of you are moving an inch until I've scanned you to make sure you aren't hiding any injuries." Coran narrowed his eyes in what Ed guessed was supposed to be threatening but really wasn't.

"Coran, I am hurt by your distrust in us!" Lance gasped, hand splayed over his chest dramatically. "When have I ever hidden an injury from you?" He asked demandingly.

"Do you want me to list them alphabetically or in chronological order?" Coran asked flatly, causing Ed, Blue and Green to snicker at Lance's offended expression.

"That's just rude, Coran, my man." Lance pouted but let Coran get to work scanning him.

"I imagine you'll live." Coran told him. Lance laughed as Coran finished up his scan of the blue Paladin. "You're fine. Take it easy on your left ankle. You've got a minor sprain in it. Take some of the anti-bruise spray and apply it after a shower." Coran ordered and Lance nodded, moving to grab a bottle of the spray like he was told to do. Coran turned to Edward, he shifted a little under his gaze. "Your turn." He said.

"Okay." Ed nodded sharply once as he let Coran move the scanner over him. He barely even breathed while the alien was working on him, watching Coran's every reaction to his tablet. He let out a breath when Coran finished up.

"How are you still in one piece?" Coran asked as he read over the results one more time.

"Well, technically I'm in three pieces." Ed deadpanned and watched as Coran realised what he meant.

"My apologies, young Edward. I didn't mean to insult you." He bowed slightly.

"Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it." Edward waved off the apology a little awkwardly. "What did you mean though?" He asked curiously. Lance shuffled forward as he peered over Coran's shoulder to look at the tablet.

" _Dios,_  Edward! Is there a bone in your body you haven't fractured or broken?" He asked, looking aghast at the screen.

"Pretty sure I haven't broken my back or left pinkie yet." Ed said nonchalantly. Both Coran and Lance stared at him in shock. "What? I get in a lot of fights, okay? Literally part of my job. Also, I might have been inside a few buildings when they collapsed." Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"Seriously, though. How are you still alive?" Lance asked.

"I find the secret to surviving all sorts of probably fatal situations is to hate Truth enough to not die in order to spite it." Ed told them seriously and Lance started cackling. The aliens on the beds and in the chairs around them jumped at the sound, some of them cringing back as though they expected a blow. Ed frowned at them before realising why they would react like that. He took a few steps forward before looking at Coran. "Will they be able to understand me?" He asked.

"Yes. The Castle has a translator in it. I'm hearing you speak in Altean right now." Coran told him. Ed kinda wanted to know more about that but he let it go for the moment and turned back to the confused and nervous aliens.

"I just wanted you all to know that she's dead. The witch can't hurt you anymore." Ed told them. For a few moments there was no reaction and Edward wondered if perhaps Coran was wrong about them being able to understand him but one of them started wailing softly and soon, they were all comforting or being comforted as they cried and cheered at the news. All of them except one alien who was sitting in a chair next to a bed occupied by an alien with yellow feather as hair but the rest of their body was a warm, orange colour and – from the way they shimmered when they shifted – was scaled. Their claw-tipped fingers were wrapped lightly around the arm of the alien occupying the chair.

"How do you know? How can you be sure she isn't playing dead?" The alien asked, gravelly voice sounding wary. Their purple and blue eyes darted between Edward and the door like they expected Haggar to come swooping in any second. The orange alien in the bed tried to pat their peach-coloured skin soothingly but they removed their before they could. Panic started to show in their eyes and Ed was faintly intrigued by the fact their skin colour seemed to darken. "How do you know?" They demanded once more, voice becoming shriller.

"Because I killed her myself." Ed told them. Complete silence greeted those words, broken only by the occasional sob. "The black Paladin and I made sure she was dead. My," he hesitated for a moment before saying 'commanding officer' since he wasn't sure many of them would know what that meant, "friend destroyed her body. She's dead and she's not coming back." His words seemed to appease the peach-coloured alien since their skin was returning to its normal colour. Their orange-coloured friend took possession of their hand once more and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you." Another of the aliens said from next to Pidge. Their voice warbled but Ed had a feeling that's how they normally sounded. They lay on the bed, humanoid in shape but with silver skin that looked impenetrable. They had no hair that Ed could see, instead they had short spines covering the top of their head. Their eyes were pitch black and Ed felt slightly unnerved when they looked at him. "Thank you for making sure she cannot hurt us or someone else ever again, Paladin." The name made Ed jerk.

"Uh, I'm not a Paladin. He is and so is she. The other three are somewhere else." Ed told them, pointing to Lance and Pidge before gesturing at the door to indicate the three missing Paladins were out there somewhere. "I'm an alchemist." Ed shrugged when the silver-skinned alien asked.

"Then thank you, Alchemist." Ed gave her an unsure smile before his attention was drawn back to Coran, who had tapped him on his shoulder.

"Why don't you head to the kitchens with Lance? The others should be waiting in there. Tell them I'll want to see all of them – Brigadier-General Mustang included – later for a medical check." Coran instructed, patting him gently on the arm. "Make sure you drink plenty of water for your throat." He advised before shooing them towards the door.

"Sure, Coran." Ed said before turning to the Green Lion. "You staying here?" He asked.

" _Yes. I need to yell at her when she wakes up."_  Green told him as she settled next to Pidge's bedside.

"Okay. Don't yell too loudly. She might have a headache." Ed told her and she huffed to let him know she'd heard him. He chuckled as no other response was forthcoming before he followed Blue and Lance out the door. He had the hair-raising feeling of being watched by multiple sets of eyes as he left the room. He passed Lance, who had paused at the doorway to look back.

"Do you want me to come back after I've had something to eat to help out here?" He asked, looking at the numerous aliens, face worried when he realised Coran would be the only one to tend to them.

"Thank you, my boy, but I believe I have this handled." He smiled at him before contemplating something. "Actually, there is something you could do for me. Well, you and number 2."

"Yeah?" Lance asked, looking interested and slightly apprehensive at the same time.

"You and Hunk can help by distributing some food goo to our guests in the common room. I imagine they'll be hungry and food goo has all of the nutritional values they should all need and it'll be easy on their stomach. I don't imagine they were fed well on that ship." Coran scowled at the thought and, for a moment, Lance was glad Zarkon was dead because he didn't think Coran would've made his death as quick.

"Sure can, Coran." Lance smiled at him. "I'll get Hunk to start whipping it up. Do you want me to bring some down here?" He asked.

"Yes, please, my boy." Coran gave him a grateful look. Lance saluted happily before calling out he'd be back soon and joined Ed and Blue in the hallway.

"You alright, Ed?" Lance asked, touching Ed's shoulder gently while Blue nudged his side as a show of solidarity. They'd barely turned the corner from the medical bay corridor before Lance asked.

"Yeah, I think so." He said before sighing. "I never wanted to be the cause of someone's death, you know? No matter how inhumane that person was, I preferred taking them down instead of out. I don't believe one person should be judge, jury and executioner. Not even for someone like Haggar."

"I can't sympathise or empathise with you." Lance said, a little sad that he couldn't help. "I'm not ignorant to the fact that all of the Galran fighters and ships we destroy on a regular basis have more than just robot sentries in them but it's not the same as what you're talking about so I won't insult you by pretending it is. I think you and Hunk should talk with Shiro or Mustang. Heck, talk to them both." Lance saw him open his mouth and tutted at him. "No, don't try any of that 'I'm fine' crap. That's for me only. Your mental health is important, Ed, and you need to talk to people about this stuff. I'm gonna nag Hunk until he agrees with me as well then we'll both gang up on you if we have too." Lance pointed a finger at him threateningly.

" _I'll join them. I know my sisters will as well."_  Blue informed him sweetly.

"You're both really bossy. I hope you know this." Ed grumbled as they continued to the kitchens. "But I swear I'll talk to someone." He acquiesced easily. Mustang wouldn't let him not deal with it and he would play dirty and snitch to Al and Miss Gracia.

"Good." Lance smiled warmly at him while Blue flooded their bond with feelings of happiness and love that made him almost smile like a sap. "Now, let's find our missing teammates and tell them that Pidge had been  _sleeping_  this whole time." Lance scowled in annoyance which caused both Blue and Edward to laugh at him. He didn't mind and joined them a moment later.

* * *

"Wait, so she seriously exhausted herself so much that the first time she got knocked out, her body seized the opportunity to get her to sleep?" Hunk asked incredulously. He and Lance were in the kitchen, piling food goo onto plates of various sizes while the four others sat at the bench and observed. Ed had found himself smooshed between Mustang and Shiro with Black and Red leaning against him. Yellow and Blue were 'helping' their own Paladins.

"Yup. Ed told me that Green's staying there so she can yell at her for her inability to form good sleeping habits." Lance had cackled when Ed had told him what Green had said. Hunk had the same reaction.

"Hopefully she'll listen to her Lion." Shiro said once Hunk's laughter had abated.

"I don't think Green will give her much choice in the matter. Fairly certain she plans on pinning Pidge down whenever it's bed time and refusing to budge." Ed told them, which caused Hunk and Lance to start giggling as they imagined that scene. Even Keith and Shiro couldn't stop their own grins at the two of them giggling like idiots in the middle of the kitchen. That's the scene Allura walked into.

"Excellent, you're all here." She frowned at the mess Hunk and Lance were currently making before deciding it was best not to ask. "I wanted to introduce you to someone before I took them down to medical." She clasped her hands together before stepping aside to reveal the two people standing behind her.

"Professor Holt? Matt?" Shiro had half risen from his seat the moment he'd laid eyes on them. They looked gaunter than his last memory of them. Both looked far older than they should've aged in the near two years they'd been separated and Shiro couldn't stop the massive feeling of guilt that overtook him at the sight of them.

"Pidge's dad and brother?" Lance asked, all traces of humour gone immediately. Even Hunk stopped serving food goo.

"That would be us." The elder of the two, Sam, said before heading straight for Shiro. The black Paladin scrambled out of his chair and stood at attention. Keith looked like he was ready to leap to his defence if something happened. To the surprise of both Paladins, and everyone else, Sam enveloped the broader man into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're alive, Takashi." He whispered as he tightened his grip and Shiro finally hugged back.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Either of you." Shiro's voice broke as he looked at Matt. The younger Holt took that as all the permission he needed before he joined in on the hug. Shiro's prosthetic whirred slightly as he tightened his grip on both of them.

"It's not your fault, Takashi. You saved me from the arena and you kept searching for us and helping Katie. That's more than enough." Matt told him, voice barely above a whisper. Shiro pulled away from them both to look at Matt in confusion.

"What do you mean I saved you from the arena?" He asked. Black came over to sit next to him, shrugging when he looked at her like she might be able to answer him.

"You don't remember?" Matt asked after exchanging a glance with his father.

"I don't remember much before landing back on Earth. To be honest, I barely remember my last couple of months at the Garrison. I don't know how I escaped and the last time I can clearly remember seeing the two of you was when we were taken." Shiro told them honestly. "It comes back in bits and pieces but I'm still missing the vast majority of the time I was being held."

"They separated you and me from Dad." Matt started to explain. "They wanted both of us to fight in the arena and I panicked. I knew the moment I stepped in there, I'd be killed. Apparently, you had the same thought because you injured my leg and made it so I couldn't be sent into the arena. The Galran were not happy with you for that." Matt's eyes turned haunted with whatever he was remembering so Sam reached over and squeezed his arm, bringing him back to the present. "They figured out I was smart like Dad so they sent me to work with him. It had the added benefit that they could use us against each other if we messed up or resisted." Matt scowled while Sam looked slightly pained.

"I hurt you?" Shiro asked, backing away minutely like he was worried he might do something to him again.

"Yes but," Matt turned stern here, forcing Shiro to keep eye contact, "I will take that over being killed in the arena any day of the week. You did the only thing you could have to save me from that. I just wish I could've done something so you didn't have to spend so long in there." Matt whispered dejectedly.

Shiro didn't really know how he could respond to that so he just hauled the young man in for another hug and held on tightly. Sam stood to the side, one hand on each of their shoulders before squeezing them once and turning to face the still stunned group that was observing them.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself." He said, effectively drawing everyone's attention to him. "I'm Samuel Holt, Katie and Matt's father."

"I'm Lance McClain." Lance took up Shiro's job of introducing the team. "This my Lion, Blue. Hunk Garratt is the one staring at you over there and that's his Lion, Yellow." He pointed to Hunk, whose jaw immediately snapped back up. "Keith Kogane is the one with the dumb mullet sitting there and his Lion, Red, should be there somewhere too." Keith glared daggers at him but Lance took zero notice. "Then there's our resident alchemists, Edward Elric, the blonde, and his commanding officer, Brigadier-General Roy Mustang. Ed's kinda stolen all of our Lions but they're very much against Mustang for some unknown reason." Lance's playful manner had the intended effect. Everyone seemed a lot more relaxed. "You already know our fearless leader over there but his Lion, Black, is the one who keeps bouncing between him and Ed. Our other fearless – and much prettier – leader is Princess Allura but I guess you guys already met." Allura rolled her eyes fondly at him and Ed was starting to realise that pretty much summed up their whole relationship.

"I wish we could've met without the Galran being involved but it is a pleasure to meet all of you. I've heard all about your adventures from Princess Allura and about where you two came from, Edward and Brigadier-General Mustang." He nodded his head in their direction and looked rightfully confused when Ed let out a long-suffering sigh while Mustang grinned smugly but he decided to not question it just yet. "I wanted to thank you for keeping Katie safe on your missions." He said, forever grateful at the fact that he was able to reunite with his daughter.

"Keeping her safe on missions was the easy part. Keeping her safe from herself, however?" Lance said dryly, causing Shiro to interrupt his own conversation with Matt.

"Lance." He said warningly. His tone caused Hunk to snigger and make a quip about 'space dad' to Lance who poked his tongue out at him before facing Shiro again.

"She's currently sleeping in the med bay because she incorrectly thought she was the only human who could survive without sleep. Tell me I'm wrong." Lance pointed out challengingly, causing Shiro to concede the point with a small sigh.

"Unfortunately, that sounds like Katie." Sam sighed as well. "We were about to head to the medbay to sit with her when Princess Allura heard you and asked if we wanted to meet you all and see Takashi." Sam told them, looking at Allura questioningly.

"Yes. Shall we continue on our than?" She asked and both men nodded.

"We'll come with you." Lance announced, gesturing to Hunk and himself. "We promised Coran we'd get everyone so food goo and there's no time like the present." He said, Hunk nodding emphatically beside him.

"That's very kind of you, Lance and Hunk. Would you like some help carrying everything?" Allura asked. Lance looked at all the plates and bowls and nodded.

"That would be nice, Allura." Lance said. Blue made a protesting noise. "What?" Lance asked.

" _Yellow and I want to help as well."_  Blue said, voice echoing in both Ed and Lance's head. Ed could feel Yellow's agreement to her statement.

"I don't know how you can help. It's not like you can carry anything." Lance frowned apologetically. Ed rolled his eyes when she turned her kitten eyes on him and slid from his spot, avoiding Red carefully.

"Toss us a tea-towel or something." Ed said as he rounded the counter, squeezing passed Sam. He didn't notice Shiro nudging Matt closer. Hunk threw him a tea-towel half the size of a regular towel. He raised an eyebrow and Hunk shrugged. Ed lay it out on the ground before crouching in front of it and gesturing for Blue to come over, which she did. "Open your mouth for a moment, please." He asked nicely. She raised a brow but did as she was asked. "Cheers." Ed said after a quick look at her teeth before turning his attention to the fabric in front of him. He folded it in half longways before tapping it once. Blue sparks spread across the material, sealing the folded halves to each other.

"How's that supposed to help?" Keith asked from where he was watching. Ed looked at him flatly before tapping the fabric once more. Once again, blue energy danced across it before the fabric was split into eight strips. Ed rearranged the strips into pairs before making each pair into a + shape and tapping the sections that overlapped. After he did it to all four pairs, he stood up.

"Place the plate or bowl in the centre and tie up the straps. The Lions can use their mouths to hold onto the straps." Ed explained before he gave Blue and Yellow a pat each and headed back for his seat. Red grumbled as she swished her tail out of the way so Ed didn't stand on it but stopped complaining when Ed scratched her behind the ears before he sat on his stool.

"What was that?" Matt asked, looking at the makeshift carry baskets like he wanted to take them apart in a lab somewhere.

"Alchemy." Ed said simply. "That was really basic alchemy so don't look so impressed." Ed didn't like the way the men were looking at him like he was some sort of miracle worker.

"If you guys wanna grab a couple of plates each, that would be handy." Lance said, getting the attention back off of Ed, which the blonde seemed grateful for. Shiro stepped forward, as did Black.

"We'll help as well. I'd like to check on Pidge." He explained, placing a dish in a carry basket and handing it to Black, who took it gently, before he went to grab a pile of dishes in space Tupperware containers. He raised his brow at Lance who nodded.

"Yeah, those are for the aliens in the pods so they have something when they wake up." Lance told him.

"That was very thoughtful of you two." Allura praised as she grabbed a plate from the bench while Sam and Matt grabbed a couple each. Lance and Hunk grabbed some as well. "Will this feed everyone?" Allura asked. Lance did a count and mentally counted how many aliens had been in the medbay.

"Uh, yeah this should cover everyone in there. If not, I'll come back and grab some more." He told her. "We still have to get a count of the remaining aliens so we can make dishes up for them." Lance reminded Hunk, who nodded.

"We can ask Coran. He would've scanned everyone when they left Blue." Hunk told him, which made Lance and Ed jolt as they both remembered something.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me; Coran wants to see everyone for a check-up. That includes you two." Lance glared at Mustang and Keith, daring them to protest.

"I don't require medical attention." Mustang told him. Lance turned his glare onto him directly.

"Coran and I  _will_  hunt you down and force you to have one so don't tempt us." He pointed a finger at him in warning.

"Why don't you two join us?" Allura asked. "Coran can scan everyone and it'll be over and done with in no time." She smiled sweetly but everyone could see the slight dare to try and wriggle out of it dancing on her lips. Red made Keith's decision for him when she hopped up and headed for the door.

"Traitor." Keith muttered as he followed her. Ed could feel her smugness and grinned to himself.

"You're welcome to join us, Edward." Allura said as everyone gathered at the doors. The blonde thought about it for a moment but decided he didn't want to be by himself, even for a short while, right now so he slid off his stool once more and followed them.

* * *

"Just in time! I was starting to think you all managed to get lost in the Castle somehow!" Coran grinned, twirling his mustache, when he saw them enter the door. His eyes narrowed in on Mustang, Shiro, Keith, Hunk and the two Holts. "You all will be scanned before you leave." He warned them.

"I already threatened them, Coran." Lance called cheerfully from where he was handing the silver-skinned alien some goo.

"Excellent job, my boy." Coran praised. Shiro wondered if he needed to remind Coran that threats were generally not necessary before glancing at Keith – who looked two moments from fleeing – before keeping his mouth shut and positioning himself between the red Paladin and the door.

Shiro placed the tubs of goo onto the space Coran indicated before volunteering to go first. Once he was given the all clear, he nudged Keith forward. After giving Shiro an impressive scowl, Keith let himself be scanned. He was handed some goop and told to apply it to his bruised ribs after a shower. Then it was Shiro's turn to scowl at the raven-haired boy, who shrugged in response. Mustang was next, told to be nice to his shoulder, and let go before Coran set his sights on Hunk. He waited for the yellow Paladin to hand out the dishes he had and relieve Yellow of the one she carried before he ambushed him. He too got the all clear and now it was just the Holts.

"How is Katie?" Sam asked as he let Coran scan his body. He wasn't paying any attention to the Altean, looking over at his daughter like he wanted to scoop her up and never let her go.

"I believe she'll wake up in another two or three varga." Coran told him cheerfully. He noticed Sam eyeing up the I.V. line in her arm. "That's only there to replenish any fluids she's lost and to keep her hydrated until she wakes up." Coran reassured the man before turning to his tablet. "I'd like to set you up with one, if I can. You should also eat some food goo but aside from malnutrition and slight dehydration, physically, you're in good shape." Coran told him.

"Can I sit with her?" Sam asked, still not looking away from Pidge.

"Of course. You and your son are welcome to stay with her for as long as you'd like." Coran told them. Sam gave his permission for the I.V. drip and settled next to Pidge, sitting opposite from where Matt was seated. Coran got the I.V. line ready, hooked Sam up to it and turned on Matt. After a scan, Matt was given the same diagnosis as his father and Coran was permitted to place an I.V. line in him as well.

"Come on." Lance said was Coran finished fussing over Matt. "We've still gotta get food to everyone else." He reminded them. Hunk immediately booked it out of the medbay to start getting more food goo plates ready to go, Yellow bounding after him.

"Oh, there you are!" Allura exclaimed just as some excitable squeaking sounded from the vents. "Where have you been hiding?" She asked as the four space mice squeezed their way through the vents and onto Allura's shoulder. The largest of them started squeaking once more. "Ah, yes, Kalteknecker would have made for very good company during the battle." She praised. The mice beamed before they started chattering again. "Yes, very well. You may stay with me if you wish. We were just about to provide our new friends with some nourishment, if you wished to join?" She inquired but they shook their heads before pointing to Coran. "You wish to help Coran here?" She asked and they nodded enthusiastically. "Coran?" She asked.

"I suppose they may stay if that's what they desire. So long as they don't harass my patients." He added as a warning, gesturing to the mice. They nodded and gave Coran the most adorably innocent faces they could muster.

"They swear." She told him before handing them over into his care. "Behave yourselves." She warned before turning to everyone else. "Shall we?" She asked, gesturing to the door. They all nodded and filed out of the room. Ed was glad to leave. Everyone had been staring at him with awe while he was in there. He didn't want that. He'd taken someone's life and it didn't matter how horrible that person was in life; he'd still taken their life and he didn't think that should be something to celebrate.

* * *

Soon enough, everyone was back in the kitchens and helping Lance and Hunk serve up portions of food goo. Coran had told Lance that there were 57 prisoners, 16 of whom were in the medbay and had already been fed. Allura found a trolley in one of the cabinets that had been used by the servants before the war to cart the food that was set on a large table for guests to be able to nibble on at their leisure during parties her father had held before the war. Hunk had been more than happy to see it before he started piling the prepared dishes onto. Everyone else grabbed some plates that couldn't fit, Lions included, before following Hunk and his trolley.

Allura opened the door to the room that the freed prisoners were occupying and was greeted by the large, green alien who had been the first to speak to her after she'd cut through the wall to their prison.

"We have brought food for those of you who wish to eat. There is plenty to go around and if you are still hungry afterwards, we will be more than happy to serve more." Allura told them before any could ask what was happening. Some of the aliens were hesitant to touch anything but after watching those who had taken some and eat without complaint, they soon followed their lead and before long, everyone had a plate of food goo in their hands or appendages.

"Princess Allura," the green alien rumbled once he'd gotten his food, "are these the Paladins of Voltron?" He nodded towards the group.

"Oh, how rude of me! I apologise, I forgot you had not met them." She turned to the room and addressed the group. "Please allow me to introduce four of the five Paladins of Voltron. Takashi Shirogane, our black Paladin and his Lion. Lance McClain, our blue Paladin and his Lion. Hunk Garrett, our yellow Paladin and his Lion and finally; Keith Kogane, our red Paladin and his Lion. The two others standing with them are friends and allies; Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist." Everyone had either raised their hand or nodded when their name was announced.

"Does this mean the fight is over?" A small alien, no larger than Pidge, and with fine, olive-coloured hair all over its body asked hopefully.

"Our mission today was to eliminate the Galran Emperor, Zarkon, and his witch, Haggar. I am honoured to tell you that our mission was successful. Both Zarkon and Haggar have been eliminated." Allura told them, looking proudly at her Paladins. "Our next plan, once everyone has recovered enough, is to return you all to your homes and liberate any planets still under Galran control. We will also be talking with the Coalition to find any remaining Galran strongholds or prisons and free those we can." She told them. "Voltron will continue as what my father, King Alfor, envisioned it to be; a peacekeeper. We will continue to provide help to those who require it and restore peace and balance to the universe." She assured them, keeping her voice regal and warm and her expression open and pleasant.

The aliens in the room didn't react with tears like some of those in the medbay had. Instead they accepted the news with smiles and many words of gratitude expressed to the Paladins. Allura was the one who dealt with those who needed extra assurances they were positive Haggar was dead, something Ed was happy to not have to deal with again. Finally, Allura managed to extract them from the room with assurances to the aliens that they were only a press of a button away and that they would be back later to check on them if nothing was required beforehand.

Allura led them to the bridge before turning to talk to everyone. "Ordinarily, this would be the time I would have everyone sit down for a debrief. However, I would prefer to have Pidge here with us when we do so. Since Coran has told us that she will not awaken for another two vargas, at least, I would like you to take this time to get some food for yourself, have a shower, do what you wish until she has awoken. I only ask that you give your uniforms to Hunk so that he can upload the videos of your fight to our archives and that you stay within the kitchens, second common room, the library or your own quarters. Once Pidge has awoken and had something to eat, we will gather for the debrief." Allura requested and received grateful nods in return before everyone headed for their showers in an unspoken agreement that that would be the first place they should all go.

* * *

Hunk's first chore after his shower was to find everyone else and grab their uniforms so he could do ask Allura had asked. Lance's was the last one he was able to get and that included heading for the medbay to grab Pidge's uniform so he could upload her feed. Lance went into a long, dramatic spiel about how important a good shower routine when Hunk commented on it. Hunk just laughed at him and ruffled his hair, causing Lance to squawk and bat his hands away which made Hunk laugh even harder. His second chore was to head for the kitchen so he could whip up something quick for everyone to eat. He hadn't expected anyone to be in the kitchen when he got there so he was surprised to find Edward sitting at the bench with his tablet that Pidge had created for him as part of the deal they'd struck during the last training mission they'd had with the Lions in mechanical form.

"Hey." Hunk greeted as he headed for the pantry and fridge to start pulling out supplies for the space sandwiches he was about to make. No one was quite used to the fact that you needed to dunk the 'bread' in water first before you construct it so that it would expand and become soft. Pidge had once been in too much of a hurry to do that once and it hadn't ended well for her. Thankfully, her lesson was the only one everyone else needed so everyone made sure to dunk the bread first.

"Hey. What are you making?" Ed asked as his brows furrowed when Hunk dunked the bread.

"Space sandwiches." Hunk told him as he placed the bread down and moved on to preparing the fillings so all anyone had to do was construct their sandwich.

"You know what? Not even gonna question why you do what you do but I'm looking forward to the food." Ed told him, causing Hunk to laugh. "How are you going?" Ed asked, looking a little uncomfortable at talking about feelings. Hunk had noticed he and Keith were very similar in that regard.

"Pretending it didn't happen and preparing for the breakdown I'll have in the near future." Hunk told him honestly.

"Oh, good. We're dealing with it that same way. I need you to tell my brother I'm not the only person in the world who deals with shit this way." Ed told him, laughing though it was a little lacklustre.

"I'll do a little video for you if you want." Hunk offered, winking as he did so which caused Ed's resulting laughter to be a little more genuine. "But in the meantime, why don't you have something to eat? Food makes everything better." Hunk told him and Ed grinned as he moved around the bench so Hunk could instruct him on what was what.

"I need you to tell my brother that as well." Hunk just laughed as he helped Ed figure out the ingredients in front of him.


	18. Chapter 18

When Pidge opened her eyes and blinked a few times so clear her vision, the first thing she noticed was the white walls that could only mean she was in the medbay. Swearing as she became more alert, she sat up and glared at the I.V. line in her arm before glancing up to look for Coran or Lance only to find herself staring at her brother. A sound on the other side of her had her wrenching her gaze from Matt and finding her father looking at her with a mixture of exasperation, amusement and love, the way he always did when he had found her in amongst his things after telling her a dozen times to leave everything alone and she tried to claim it was an accident.

"Dad!" She exclaimed, about to throw herself at him when he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her so she didn't wrench her drip out.

"Hey, peanut." He smiled, eyes watering as he settled himself on the edge of her bed and scooped her up into a bone-crushing hug that she returned with all of her strength. Matt watched for all of two seconds before joining in and trying to crush his sister with affection as well. Pidge latched one arm around him and tried to return the favour.

"Matt!" She sobbed into their shoulders as she tightened her grip. Neither man could stop their own tears from splashing down their faces and onto Pidge. Pidge barely noticed Green sitting next to them, watching the scene unfold.

"It's good to see you too, Pidgie." Matt chuckled wetly but he didn't try and shift out of her grip, content to have most of his family within his grasp. A glance at his father told him the older man was just as happy. All they were missing right now was their mum and wife. Pidge let them keep hugging her for nearly two minutes before she untangled herself from them.

"I knew you weren't dead. The Garrison kept telling mum and me that it was pilot error and no one survived but we knew,  _we knew_ , they weren't telling us the truth. I tried to break in and hack their files but someone caught me when I only got halfway through them so I signed up with a false name and got in that way. Lance and Hunk became my team and they don't know that I knew they were covering for me whenever I snuck out at night, even though I wasn't as good a teammate as I should've been. But they snuck out and joined me one night and Shiro crashed near the Garrison and we went to help him and we ran into Keith when he tried to help Shiro too and we escaped the Garrison then Shiro told us he was abducted and I knew that meant you were too and we found Blue and she claimed Lance as her Paladin and we found the princess and the Castle then we had to find the other Lions and I found Green and she claimed me and I spent all of my spare time trying to find you and-"

"Katie, calm down!" Her dad laughed at her when she was forced to take in a breath so she didn't pass out. Matt was laughing next to Sam as he listened to his little sister try and tell them everything that happened in one breath.

"I'm just really glad you're both safe." Pidge whispered, eyes filling with more tears and both men dragged her back into a hug.

"So are we." Matt told her, clinging to her a little tighter. Green joined in on the hug by placing her front paws on the bed and shoving her head in between Pidge and her father and nuzzling her pilot as best she could.

"I couldn't believe it when Ed told us he'd sensed two humans on Zarkon's ship." Pidge confided in them after a few moments. She was aware that they weren't alone in the medbay but she couldn't bring herself to care about their audience.

"He did?" Matt asked, pulling away from Pidge to look at her for an answer.

"Yeah. He used an array on the ship to locate Haggar and Zarkon for us and sensed the prisoners as well. He told us that two of them had human energy. It took a lot of convincing for me to not go after you right then and there and to let Allura rescue everyone while we kept Zarkon and Haggar busy." She grinned a little sheepishly before realising something. "Wait, what happened with Zarkon and Haggar? Did we win?" She asked, finally looking around the room, scared that the noises she'd heard that told her the other beds were occupied and some of the pods were in use meant that her friends had been severely hurt and they'd lost only to find nearly a dozen aliens looking back at her and zero humans – aside from her father and brother – to be seen anywhere

"Yes. Princess Allura kept us apprised after she freed us. Zarkon was defeated first by a combination from Brigadier-General Mustang and Hunk, if I'm remembering correctly." Sam told her, Matt nodding in agreement. "We're not certain what happened with Haggar but she is dead as well. Shiro didn't give Allura much detail. I think they were more worried about you." Sam gave her a pointed look, telling her there would be a discussion about that in her near future.

"The young alchemist and black Paladin defeated the witch." Pidge's attention was grabbed by the silver-skinned alien in the bed next to hers.

"Oh. Well, that's good." Pidge said, relaxing against her pillows just as Coran walked in through the door.

"Ah, Number 5! You're awake! Excellent!" He gave her a happy grin as he headed over to check on her. "We were worried the lightning strike combined with your exhaustion might have kept you asleep longer. How are you feeling?" He asked as he set about to scan her, shooing her brother and father back into their seats and giving Green a look that had her sitting back on the floor with a huff.

"I'm fine." She told him.

"No slurring of your speech? Headache? Funny vision or hearing?" He asked and she shook her head. "Excellent. Lance had been very worried about whether that your armour might not have been able to deal with a lightning strike that powerful and whatever it didn't deal with could have affected you neurologically." He told her. Pidge rolled her eyes at her friend's motherhenning even if it did cause her to feel all warm and happy inside. "You were very lucky, you know. The lightning hit your armoured shoulder and exited out of your boot. Why, if Haggar had put any more power behind her strike, you might not have gotten out of it with just a bump on your head!" He told her, sounding far too cheerful for that kind statement.

"But she is okay?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yes! All she needs to do now is get some food into her. Maybe have a shower and go to bed at a proper time tonight." Coran told her sternly. "I believe Green has a plan for dealing with that if she proves to be uncooperative." Coran looked at the Lion curiously before remembering something else. "Oh, yes, there is another thing. Everyone is waiting for you before they do their debrief. While not normally allowed, Princess Allura has permitted the two of you to join the debrief, after you all have had something to eat, drink and gone for a shower." Coran told them kindly as he unhooked their I.V. lines.

"Thank you, Coran." Sam said as he dabbed some of the ointment that Coran was holding for him onto the puncture wound from the needle. It sealed the wound so blood didn't seep out. He held the jar out for Matt as he turned to talk to Sam.

"No need to thank me. Will half a varga be enough for the three of you to shower and get some sustenance into you?" He asked and received three nods as he held the jar out for Pidge to use. "Excellent. I'll let Allura know to expect you in the debrief room in half a varga. That'll give everyone else enough time to get there as well." Coran said as he helped Pidge steady herself on her feet before handing her over to her family.

"Okay. Thanks, Coran." Pidge said as she walked out of the medical ward while clutching her father and brother's arms while Green walked behind them.

Coran allowed himself a gentle smile as he watched them leave. While he would always feel the ache and the hole losing his family left him with, he was glad to see one of their Paladin's finally reunite with their family. He hoped, for their sakes, it wouldn't too much longer before they could reunite the rest of the Paladins with their families. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to his other patients with a large smile on his face and started their check-ups to see if any could be escorted to the other freed prisoners.

* * *

Once they'd eaten and taken the quickest showers in history so they didn't have to be out of each other's sight for longer than necessary, the four of them headed for the debrief room just as the half varga they'd said they'd take ended. Everyone else was already seated on the couches, leaving the three-seater free for them to occupy. Green decided to just lounge on the back of it like she normally did, keeping her paw on Pidge's shoulder and draping her tail on the arm rest.

"I'm glad to see you out of the medical wing, Pidge." Allura said as the Holts got themselves settled in. "Though, you and I will be discussing your sleeping habits. I will not be risking a Paladin's life because they are so exhausted their body decides to keep them asleep the moment they're knocked unconscious." She told her sternly. Pidge shrank into the back of her couch like she hoped it would open and swallow her whole.

"Yes, Allura. I'm really sorry." She told her, avoiding eye contact. Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her into his side.

"I know you are. I am very glad you are okay, though." Allura gave her a small, genuine smile. The younger girl gave her a matching smile back. "Now that that's out of the way, let's move on. Hunk, if you would?" The yellow Paladin nudged Lance from where he was practically seated in the bigger boy's lap so he could use both hands to operate the tablet.

"Sorry." He said as Lance muttered before switching so he was leaning up against Edward instead. A few more taps on the tablet and a hologram screen appeared in the middle of the room. "Who would you like to start with, Allura?" Hunk asked, finger paused above the tablet's screen.

"Shall we start with the footage from your uniform?" Allura suggested. Hunk only paused for a moment before tapping the video from his uniform.

At first, the video started from the moment Hunk walked down Yellow's ramp. It was so quiet that Ed thought there was no sound until he realised he could  _just_  make out the sounds of Hunk's nervous breathing. It clicked as he watched Hunk's camera pick up Mustang, Shiro and Keith moving ahead of him and the sounds of them as they ran lightly down the corridor, weapons at the ready, meant that all of their videos would include sound which would mean that they would hear Haggar's taunts she's made as she was holding him up by the face. Which meant they'd hear her talk about the half-Galran amongst them. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that it couldn't be him or Mustang and that Lance, Hunk, Pidge and the Alteans were definitely not the ones she could have been referring too. That would leave Shiro or Keith. Ed was certain it wouldn't take them very long to figure out who it was.

"You need to warn Keith that his lineage might be figured out quicker than he wanted. Haggar made threats against him and they'll be on my uniform's video." Ed used his link with Red as they watched the video play in front of them. The team had just entered Zarkon's throne room and the Warlord had just started taunting them when Keith stiffened where he was sitting on Shiro's other side. Ed looked over Shiro to see if he was okay but the raven-haired boy was watching the feed.

" _Keith says thanks for the heads up."_  Red told Ed. Mustang, who was seated on Keith's other side mistook Ed's glance at Keith as a glace at him and raised a brow in question. Ed shook his head and turned back to the video just as Mustang repeated Ed's own words to Zarkon. The blonde sniggered at Zarkon's offended expression and resulting threat. The best part was Hunk's whispered 'we're so dead' when Mustang riled Zarkon up that obviously no one else had heard before the fight started. Hunk flushed as Lance, Pidge and Ed tried their hardest to contain their laughter.

They watched as Zarkon tried, and failed, to use the black bayard and Allura gave Black a surprised look. Apparently, she didn't know the Lions could cut off their connections to their bayards. Throwing the useless bayard to the side, they all watched as Zarkon grabbed a large sword and stalking towards them. Keith and Shiro met him halfway; Keith intercepting the strike while Shiro attacked. Mustang walked out of the camera's view and returned a few minutes later, wielding twin staffs he'd gotten from somewhere. Just as he joined the fight, Zarkon managed to knock the two others back so Mustang was having to hold Zarkon back on his own while they got back to their feet. The moment they rejoined the fight, Mustang was sent flying by a vicious blow.

Hunk's camera wobbled a bit and Ed figured he'd moved nervously at that point. They could all see his mini-canon resting on his shoulder in the frame, aimed for the doors, but it was clear with the way the camera faced that he was more focused on the fight and was gearing himself up to take the shot if he got one. Suddenly, Mustang was barely in the frame and they could hear their whispered conversation as Mustang told Hunk the plan he'd come up with.

"And you call my plans reckless." Ed said dryly as they watched Hunk's camera jump slightly as he nodded to Mustang's plans.

"Shut up, brat." Mustang said without any bite but that didn't stop Red from growling softly next to him. Mustang threw his hands up in exasperation. "Really?" He asked Red but she ignored him, the flick of an ear being the only sign she'd heard him at all.

"I'll explain later." They heard Pidge tell her family as the two Holt men looked at the scene with confusion.

"Quiet, please." Allura ordered as the Mustang on the video headed back into the fight, seizing the opportunity Keith being hit back gave him. Using one staff, he forced Zarkon's weapon to hit it at an angle. The sword glanced the staff and Zarkon's own momentum forced the blade to slide down the metal rod. The other staff was swung up to hit the unbalanced warlord over the head but he recovered too quickly and ripped it out Mustang's grip before using it to force Shiro back. Zarkon laughed cruelly as he asked what they were going to try now and looked almost pityingly at Mustang when all he did was raise a hand up to his face. The scream Zarkon let out when Mustang snapped and released an explosive fireball reminded Ed uncomfortably of Pidge's when she'd been hit by Haggar's lightning. From the look on Lance's face, he felt the same way. They watched at Zarkon blindly swung his sword and Shiro darted in close to grab Mustang and force him out of the way.

That's when the camera spun violently so it was facing Zarkon completely head on and several shots were fired. The blood spray from the bullets was almost impressive and Ed was grateful Zarkon fell away from the camera because he doubted that would have been a pretty sight. There was a glow off to the side as Hunk's bayard changed to it's dormant form before the video feed stopped. There was silence for quite a few heartbeats before anyone spoke.

"Well done completing your mission. I don't see any need to discuss what we saw any further or watch the other footage. The mission was completed successfully and I didn't see any evidence of anyone deviating from the plan or disobeying orders." Allura said, looking at the four of them before focusing on Hunk. "Hunk, I know this must be hard for you. Once again, I find myself wishing that none of this had fallen on any of your shoulders. I won't thank you for taking a life but I will thank you for undoubtedly saving thousands more. If you need to talk to someone, please come to myself, Coran or Shiro. We can and will help you and we will never judge you for needing to reach out to us." Allura waited for his nod before looking at Shiro to see if he had anything to add to the discussion.

"Allura's right. If you find that you're struggling with it, you need to find one of us. That goes for all of you, as well." Shiro said, squeezing Ed's knee slightly so he'd look up at the older man and nod to show he'd heard him.

"Yes. If any of you are struggling with anything, please don't hesitate to reach out. There is no weakness in needing to talk to someone." Allura reiterated before meeting Ed's gaze. "Let's play Edward's footage, if that is alright with him?" She asked. Ed glanced at Keith, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Sure." He gave his permission and Allura nodded at Hunk, who started the feed up.

* * *

Like the start of Hunk's feed, Ed's had started the moment he left the Blue Lion with Lance. They met up with Pidge before both Paladins summoned their weapons. Lance was in the lead and they were heading in the direction Ed had told them. They paused a couple of times as a distinctive clap rang out and one of Ed's hand appeared in the camera's view, palm splayed outward. They waited for Ed's instructions each time before they eventually entered a seemingly empty. Ed's warning came and a slight groan of pain sounded from the blonde. The video stopped suddenly and Ed frowned at it before glancing at Hunk to see what happened and finding everyone looking at him.

"What?" He asked defensively, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at everyone.

"Why did you sound like you were in pain? I thought Coran gave you a clean bill of health?" Allura asked, gathering her own tablet up as if she was going to check or ask Coran.

"Oh." Ed said as he realised he wasn't in trouble; they were just worried. "I was still using my tracking array when I walked into the room. Haggar was teleporting herself around the room and trying to keep up with her while using the tracking array caused a very sudden headache. It went away once I stopped the transmutation." Ed shrugged.

"That's a relief." Allura said before gesturing for Hunk to continue playing the feed.

Ed's hand was lowered as the three of them banded together to make sure the witch couldn't get a drop on any of them while her voice echoed around the room. The sound of speaking was causing Shiro, Sam and Matt some obvious discomfort but they declined Allura's offer to mute the video. Everyone gasped when the video jumped in response to Ed's reaction when Haggar appeared directly in front of him. His blade flashed as he slashed at her but she wrenched herself out of the way with a snarl. Lance's bayard glowed as it changed from rifle to pistol and he started firing shots while Pidge tried to hit her with an electric charge from her own bayard.

"Take off." The Ed on the video ordered as numerous Haggars filled the feed and they watched the three of them take shot after shot, growing increasingly frustrated as the real Haggar cackled gleefully at their anger. "Fuck this." Ed sighed on the video, clapped his hands and spread them out as his energy array took effect and he called out Haggar's position to Lance, who immediately followed the order and took the shot. She hissed when the shot grazed her arm and suddenly, all of the Haggars were gone. The three regrouped once more, back to back as they kept a wary eye out.

Something must've happened because the camera turned to show Ed shoving both Paladins forward, a touch harshly before the camera made an almost nauseating movement as Ed threw himself into a backwards flip and straightened in time for the camera to capture purple lightning strike the very spot they'd all been standing. A voice sounded just off the camera and Ed spun but there was no one there. When he turned back, only Pidge was nearby.

They heard Ed and Haggar's conversation, Ed sounding suspicious as he and Pidge tried to figure out where the witch was. Ed revealed himself to be an alchemist which caused Haggar to growl in rage before something happened just off camera to make Ed gasp. Haggar's insult of the princess' alchemy was heard before a helmet clattered on the ground where Haggar had dropped it in between Pidge and Ed. It was immediately identified as Ed's and everyone surmised that was the reason for his gasp. A shot fired from off screen from wherever Lance had hidden himself, causing Haggar to shriek as she became visible and return fire only to hit nothing.

Ed then told her he wasn't of this world as he alchemised a spike in her direction, forcing her to teleport closer to Pidge. She took her opportunity but it failed only for Lance to take a shot that Haggar barely avoided as she was forced to keep teleporting. Ed created more spikes and she vanished once again, appearing above them and send out a blast of energy that knocked Pidge and Ed off their feet. Ed's camera picked up Pidge climbing to her to her feet when Haggar's robes blocked the view and she started speaking to Ed once more.

There were several gasps – either of confusion or outrage – mixed with growls from all of the Lions when Haggar brought up Edwards mother. While Mustang was the only in the room to know what Ed had tried, everyone except the two Holt men knew Edward's mother was dead and that she was a sensitive subject for the blonde. The two Paladins had been standing behind Haggar, unsure of how to proceed but Edward must've given them a silent signal because they readied their weapons while Ed kept Haggar distracted. When Haggar promised he'd be the one to bring his mother back, Ed reared his automail fist at her and struck. She, predictably, moved out of the way with a furious look on her face. Pidge had attacked first; firing her grappling hook the moment Haggar was in range and electrocuted her, making her scream just as Lance fired. The bullet tore through Haggar's shoulder, spraying the camera and Ed with blood.

Pidge and Lance joined Ed as he made a witty comment and alchemised his blade back into existence. Haggar's hand glowed where it was clutching her ruined shoulder and the wound stopped bleeding but those with any sort of experience with injuries knew it wasn't fully healed. Haggar didn't make the fight any easier, despite her injury. They could see the numerous close calls with the purple lightning, the frustration the clones were causing and added to the mix were the sounds of people the three were close too. Mustang could identify Alphonse, Winry, Pinako Rockbell, even himself, amongst the voices. He thought he heard Sam and Matt in amongst them but wasn't certain. There were people speaking the language Lance could but despite all of this, the voices didn't seem to get to them too much.

"The Lions were able to figure out what was going on and kept us grounded." Lance told them when Shiro asked.

Ed and Lance seemed to pair up to trap Haggar once more. Some of them winced when Haggar fell for it and the spike buried itself into her calf. Ed grabbed the two Paladins and gave them a pep talk. Both Shiro and Mustang were a little surprised since neither man had noticed the two Paladins flagging. The pep talk worked and the three faced the witch with renewed determination; something she seemed to have noticed if the snarl was any indication. She hurled more lightning but each attack failed, causing Haggar's displeasure to become more pronounced but suddenly the two Paladins seemed to relax slightly and Haggar took her chance.

She disappeared instantaneously before Ed's camera seemed to slide along the floor before he rolled to stop his momentum and to face the fight just as Pidge's scream pierced the air and they watched her go down. Lance yelled her name and headed straight for her, abandoning his bayard in his haste. Haggar was just in the frame on the opposite side and they saw her build up an attack before Ed was up and racing for the blue Paladin, tackling him to the ground just as Haggar struck and missed them. They picked themselves back up and now Ed was instructing Lance to stay behind and wait. He passed a message on from Green which calmed Lance down enough to listen and they started to creep their way towards Pidge, keeping Haggar in their sights. She screeched at them when she noticed and Ed stumbled back a few feet – presumably pushing Lance backwards too – when she aimed another bolt of lightning at them.

Then Haggar launched herself at them physically and Ed shoved Lance towards Pidge's still body. The brunette took off running as Haggar slammed herself into Ed and sent him flying. He landed harshly, gasping for the breath he lost as he turned his body so he was on his side, facing Haggar and the two Paladins. Lance had just slid to his knees, coming to a stop at Pidge's head and removed her helmet as Haggar face the distracted Paladins. Ed slammed a palm to the floor and blue energy raced against Haggar to construct a shelter around the Paladins. The action caught Haggar's attention – Mustang suspected that was half the point – and she teleported back in front of him. Lance could be heard calling Ed's name as she reached down to lift Edward up. The camera was blocked by her robes the entire time she was speaking to Ed and Mustang had to clench his fists tightly as he listened to the threats she made.

She started with threatening Alphonse and Winry before moving onto the Paladins themselves. If you listened carefully, you could hear rapid and numerous footsteps approaching them. Haggar never seemed to notice. Everyone had different reactions to the reveal that there was someone half-Galran amongst them. Mustang saw the glance Keith and Ed shared before clearing his throat pointedly to stop everyone who wanted to say something and pointed back to the video. It was difficult listening to Ed start struggling to draw in air as Haggar removed her hand from his face and wrap it around his throat, tightening her grip maliciously.

Then the door could be heard being blown in off camera. Ed continued to struggle for breath but he didn't seem as desperate as before. Then footsteps could be heard racing towards him and Edward drew in as deep a breath as he could manage before his automail blade ripped through Haggar's throat and a metal arm lit up purple tore its way through her chest. There were a few seconds where you could see Haggar's surprise and terror as she realised what happened. Then Ed's automail was pulled from her throat and he stumbled back a couple of steps. Mustang's frame could be seen helping Shiro remove his arm from Haggar's torso and they heard Haggar gurgle wetly, blood bubbling out of her slack mouth before she finally died. Mustang called Edward's military title but he didn't respond. The video was cut off just as Mustang turned Edward around so he was no longer facing Haggar's body.

* * *

There was complete silence as everyone processed what they'd just watched. Pidge, being unconscious at the time, and Lance, being to far away at the time, hadn't heard what Haggar had said to Edward and they found themselves wishing the witch wasn't already dead. The Lions felt the exact same way. Edward hadn't shown any sort of reaction the video except to squeeze Lance's hand when the Cuban had grabbed his after hearing the first of Haggar's threats made against him.

"I am so sor-" Allura started saying but Ed held up a hand.

"Don't bother apologising, Miss Allura. It wasn't the first time I've been threatened or nearly killed and it will undoubtedly not be the last time." He told her, hoping to stop her feeling bad for sending him to fight Haggar and dealing with that. His words, however, seemed to make Allura even sadder.

"That doesn't mean it's not affecting you and that doesn't mean I don't feel awful for asking you to take that witch on only to have those malicious words said to you. Not to mention your injuries." She said, eyeing the butterfly bandages that littered the lower half of the left-hand side of his face. "Like I said to Hunk; I won't thank you for taking her life but I will thank you for saving all of the lives she would have taken or ruined, had she lived." She told him somberly.

"The offer to come and talk to us or someone you trust stands as well." Shiro told him, nudging his side gently. Ed nodded. Allura looked like she wanted to press the matter more but ultimately decided Edward couldn't be forced to talk to anyone until he wanted too. The offer had been extended and it was up to him to take it. Plus, there was another matter she wanted to deal with.

"We all heard Haggar threaten a half-Galran when she held Edward captive. Who was she threatening?" Allura asked, eyes cold and hard as she searched all of them like she would be able to see the Galran genes.

"Me." Keith said and the shocked looks he got from everyone except Edward was almost comical. "My mother was apparently Galran." He said in response to the unanswered questions. His demeanour was of someone who knew the shit-storm he was about go through and was resigned to the fact and decided to face it head on.

"You're half-Galran? How long have you kept this from us?" Allura hopped up out of her seat and looked at Keith with suspicion and anger.

"Since about 20 dobashes before the mission." Keith told her, somehow managing to keep his calm.

"How did-?" Allura started to ask.

"I told him." Ed told her and she looked at him like he'd just told her he'd killed Coran. She opened her mouth to demand answers but he cut her off again. "I found out when I used my tracking array to scan Zarkon's ship the first time. I told you it senses life energy so it picked up Keith's and Lance's since they were in the shuttle with me. I'd noted a while back that something was different about it but I left it, figuring you all knew about it and it was old news. Took me a while to realise that no one knew about it, not even Keith. When I scanned the ship, I picked up on the Galran soldiers in there and realised their energy matched the different energy in Keith. Put two and two together and asked Keith. He told me about his parents and I told him what I learned. We figured his mum must've been Galran." Ed told them. Allura looked absolutely furious.

"How could you keep something like that from us? How could you?" Allura demanded. Everyone could see she was struggling not to say something that she obviously really wanted too.

"I found out literally 20 dobashes before we flew to fight someone who's spent 10,000 years defeating every single person who tried going up against him.  _I_  didn't even have time to finishing processing the fact that I'm half alien yet and you want to know why telling you was the first thing on my to-do list? Because of this!" Keith had hoped out of his chair and gestured between himself and Allura. "I knew the moment you found out, all of your hate for the Galra would be directed onto me!" By now, Keith's breaths were coming in hard and fast as he struggled to keep a lid on his temper. Allura's eyes flashed furiously as Keith glared at her.

"Of course I'm angry! Half of your race was responsible for the  _genocide_  of my planet! They  _murdered_  my father!" Allura shouted back, fists scrunching in her dress as tears started to fall.

"I swear to fucking Truth," Ed growled as he stood to stand side by side with Keith, "that if Mustang and I just risked our  _lives_  to fight two of the arguably most dangerous and strongest beings in this universe in order to help you win this war only to watch you," he pointed at Allura, "turn on one of your  _friends_  because of something he has zero fucking control over, I'll be extremely pissed off." Keith was looking at him with a stunned expression but he paid no attention to it. He was too busy staring Allura down.

"The Galra-!" She started and Ed stopped her in her tracks.

"Exactly. The Galra, not Keith, were responsible. Actually, if you think about it, only Zarkon and Haggar should be the only ones blamed for Altea's destruction. They were the only ones alive at the time of its destruction and were the cause for it, after all. Every single Galran that you have had a hand in killing – despite some being evil or at least greedy enough and causing dozens of other planets to be destroyed – were only following orders from a power mad warlord." Ed shook his head. "My point is that Keith had  _nothing_  to do with Altea and taking your hate for the person who did out on him is frankly a fucking shitty thing to do. I hope you're a better person than that, Allura."

"Ed's right, Allura." Lance stood up to stand next to both boys. Shiro joined them, as did Mustang, Pidge and Hunk. "Taking your anger out of Keith because his mum was Galran would be like someone taking their anger at Alteans out on you just because of your race. Take it from someone who's had to deal with being on the receiving end of racist comments from people they don't even know. It fucking sucks and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I don't know what I would do if Hunk or Pidge turned on me just because I'm Cuban." Lance told her. "Don't be the reason Keith has to find out what it's like to have a close friend turn on you because of race." He implored her.

"He has as much control over being half-Galran as you do over being Altean." Hunk said, looking at her a little sadly. "We get the reason you're taking this so badly so please don't think that we're trying to undermine the losses you've personally suffered but please don't let your shock, grief and hatred get the best of you at the cost of your friendship with Keith." He begged her and she sucked in a shaky breath as the tears continued to rain down her face.

"I don't blame Keith for what happened to my family because half his genetics belong to the race that was responsible for what happened to them. I get that it's no where near the same as what you suffered at the hands of Zarkon but out of the people in this room, me, my family and Shiro will be the only one who can sympathise with you the best." Pidge told her bluntly.

"Pidge is right. I can honestly say I hated Haggar and I hated Zarkon but never once did I think to lump you in with them when Ed told us Haggar was probably Altean." Allura stepped back like she'd been slapped. Shiro internally winced. "And I never would have thrown Keith and Zarkon into the same bag. Keith's genetics don't change who he is. He is your friend, Allura. Don't let your hate of Galrans blind you of that fact." Shiro risked a glance at Keith and felt his heart twist when his adopted little brother looked completely flummoxed because everyone was defending him.

"Princess Allura, if I may suggest you head somewhere comfortable, private and quiet for a little while? I imagine this has been almost as much a shock for you as it was for Keith to learn. The Paladins, Fullmetal and I can look after the ship and her passengers for the time being. One of us will let Coran know what happened so he doesn't panic if he can't find you. Right now I imagine you're feeling like everyone has ganged up on you but once you've settled down and had some time to process what everyone has said, I think you'll find that they've saved you from ruining the close friendship you have with Keith with words you wouldn't have meant but can't take back." Mustang kept his professional mask in place, kept his face and voice completely neutral, so that Allura would have to listen to him.

Allura dried her tears and left the room quickly. She refused to meet any of their eyes as she headed for the door and no one tried to stop her, even though a couple of them wanted to just pull her into a hug that lasted an hour. Sam and Matt had remained seated on the couch and none of the Lions, bar Red, had moved from their spots. Red had jumped up when Keith had but she hadn't had to do much to defend her pilot. As she had hoped – despite a small, cynical part of her disagreeing – her pilot's team had rallied behind him when they'd been confronted with the truth of his origins.

"We weren't too harsh on her, right?" Hunk asked, twisting his hands a little anxiously. "Like, I know we meant what we said and I'd say what I said to her to everyone who tries to disregard Keith because of his mum but we didn't come across as too mean? She's our friend too and I don't want to hurt her either." Hunk relaxed when Lance put his hand on the yellow Paladin's shoulder.

"No, Hunk. She needed to hear all of that." Shiro sighed, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face. They never could catch a break for too long. "I would rather her be mad at us for a little while than her throw away her friendship with Keith because we didn't stop her before she said something she'd regret later." Keith shifted a little uncomfortably. Lance squeezed his arm.

"We got your back, dude. Even if you refuse to lose the dumb mullet." He gave him a cheeky grin before looking at Shiro. "I'll go tell Coran. I can take over for him in the medical ward while he finds Allura." He offered before Keith could do much more than scowl at Lance for his mullet comment.

"Thank you, Lance. Will you be alright with everyone by yourself?" Shiro asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I'll have Blue and by now, all I should be doing is checks." Lance told him assuredly. Shiro nodded his permission and, after one final squeeze to Keith's arm, Blue and Lance took off.

"What do you want the rest of us to do?" Hunk asked. Shiro thought about everything that might need doing before he assigned jobs.

"Hunk, go and check on the freed prisoners in the common room. Make sure they're all alright and see if they need anything. Pidge, head to the bridge. You can keep an eye on everything there. Your dad and brother can go with you." He smiled at her when she'd been about to ask just that question. "Keith, Ed, bounce between Lance and Hunk. Make sure they're handling everything and give them a hand if needed. Mustang, you any good with the tablets yet?" Shiro asked.

"I can use them without wanting to set them on fire now." Mustang told.

"Wow, what an improvement. They're slightly above paperwork now." Ed commented from where he stood. Mustang flipped him off. "Back at ya, Bastard." Ed said before shushing when Shiro gave him a look.

"I have to learn that look." Mustang said, mockingly awed.

"The reason it's effective is because  _you're_   _not_  the one giving me that look." Ed told him sweetly.

"Do I have to separate you two?" Shiro asked, a touch exasperated.

"Yes." "More than likely." Said Ed and Mustang respectively. Shiro shook his head.

"Mustang, you're with me. We'll start compiling data on our guests. Figure out what planets and systems they come from so we can plan our route so we can take them home in the most efficient way possible." Shiro told him and Mustang nodded.

"I'm so telling Miss Riza that you have no problems taking orders from Shiro." Ed said gleefully.

"You do remember that Hawkeye is my subordinate, right? Not the other way around?" Mustang drawled.

"You sure about that? Pretty sure everyone in Amestris knows she's the real boss." Ed sniggered at his scowl, which really wasn't the reaction Mustang was aiming for.

"That's it. You two are being separated. Ed, go check on Lance please. Keith, go with him." Shiro ordered. Ed and Keith gladly followed the order, Red trailing after them. With a nod from Shiro, everyone bar Mustang headed for their assignments, Sam and Matt were in a rather technical conversation about the bridge with Pidge. "Where's your tablet?" Shiro asked.

"I left it in my quarters." Mustang told him.

"Right, we'll head there to grab it. That should give Hunk enough time to check on the aliens' comfort before we head in there asking questions." Shiro said hopefully. "Thank you, by the way. For standing up for Keith. I know you didn't technically defend him but I think your plan of staying neutral to get through to Allura was the only one that would've worked without there being more yelling or fighting." Shiro told him honestly. "Also, thank you for talking with Hunk. He told the gist of what you two discussed in Yellow. I appreciate you reaching out to him and helping him start to figure out his emotions and everything else that came with what he did." Shiro sighed softly.

"You helped Fullmetal with his nightmares. Alchemists believe in equivalent exchange. You get what you give. Taking away the fact that I would've talked to Hunk about it despite what you did for Fullmetal, I did have to pay you back somehow. You have no idea how long Alphonse and I have been trying to get Fullmetal to open up about his nightmares so we can talk to him about them and hopefully help him get some better sleep. I know," Shiro had been about to protest that he hadn't helped Edward because he expected some kind of reward but Mustang stopped him, "that you helped him out of the goodness of your heart and because you can empathise with him a little more in that department. I spoke with Hunk because I was genuinely worried about how he would handle the true weight of what he'd done when it did hit him but I'd be lying if I said the alchemist part of me that believes in equivalent exchange didn't see it as an opportunity to pay back the favour." Mustang told him.

"Still, thank you. I hope my talk with Ed helps him open up to you or his brother a little more and I really hope he seeks you out when what happened with Haggar hits him. Though, if I know him, Lance wrangled a promise from him that he would seek help from someone." Shiro chuckled a little. "If he hasn't already, he will do before long." Shiro said wryly.

"I hope so." Mustang said. Shiro gave him a puzzled look. "Fullmetal is big on keeping his promises." He explained and Shiro's expression cleared into understanding.

"Well, in that case, I hope so as well." Shiro sighed before heading for the door. "Let's get your tablet and get to work." Black swished her tail as she led the way out of the room. Mustang and Shiro followed her, ready to get their next job done and dusted with.

* * *

Keith hadn't known what to do when he and Edward had gone to the medbay and found Coran still in there talking with Lance. The only reason he hadn't turned around and put off the conversation he knew he was going to have to have with the orange-haired Altean was the fact that Ed and Red had surreptitiously blocked any escape route he could have taken. Keith could have pretended it was completely coincidence except for Red's smugness and Ed's slight smirk when they realised he'd noticed he had nowhere to go. Once Coran had noticed him, he truly couldn't escape and that's how he found himself in the corridor, a little way down from the medbay entrance, with only Coran while Lance, Ed and Red stayed in the infirmary 'to give him some privacy'. If looks could have killed, Edward and Lance would've dropped dead from the glare Keith had given them as he followed Coran.

"So, you're half-Galran?" Coran had asked, uncharacteristically seriously.

"From what Edward and I can figure, my mum was Galran. Red told us she's known since she first met me." Keith told him, forcing himself to stand completely straight instead of hunching into himself like he wanted and maintaining eye contact. Coran nodded.

"I had wondered. There were a few traits you've displayed that reminded me of the young Galrans who used to visit Altea as part of their training or the children of a visiting Galran diplomat. You've never required a healing pod and I had nothing more than my suspicions so I never saw fit to run any tests." Coran's lips quirked in amusement at Keith's surprised expression before falling once more. "I don't hold any anger or hostility towards you for anything you haven't brought about yourself. I can't pretend that I'm not shocked at this new information but I think you'd be hard-pressed finding someone on this ship who isn't. Aside from the Lions, I believe." Coran said, huffing a little laugh at the fact that they'd all undoubtedly known about Keith's Galran genes and kept it to themselves for so long.

"You're not angry?" Keith asked, seemingly stuck on that point.

"No. I can't say I am thrilled about you being half-Galran but that is absolutely no fault of your own and my own issues with it are mine to work around. I know how Allura took the news probably makes you believe she hates you now but that's not the case." Coran assured him.

"It certainly feels it." Keith mumbled and Coran internally sighed.

"Her issues are hers and you are not to blame for any of them. I will be talking to her about this because she does know better than this and deep down, she knows that as well. I believe the fact that this blindsided her a lot more than it should have because the half-Galran turned out to be someone so close to her. I doubt her reaction would've been so extreme had it have been one of our guests who revealed they were half-Galran." Coran shook his head. "I can promise you that Allura does not hate you because you're half-Galran. What she hates is the fact that she can't pretend everything Galran is evil without including you and she knows full-well that you are not. This revelation is going to force her to rethink her black-and-white view on the Galrans. If one made it to Earth, fell in love with a human and had a child with him, what does that say about that Galran? If they were there to suss out Earth to see if it was worth taking over, why haven't the Galran attacked it? Even if it was an accident, how is it possible for a Galran to fall in love if all Galran are evil and incapable of feeling love or compassion?" Coran asked rhetorically. Keith couldn't have answered even he wanted to or was given the chance. "I can promise you that Allura is asking herself this by now and she won't be liking the conclusion she'll come too."

"Which is?" Keith couldn't help but ask. Coran gave him a gentle smile.

"That not all Galran are evil. That some of them don't want to be fighting in this war or invading planets or destroying entire species for Zarkon and Haggar's gain." Coran told him before clapping him on his shoulder. "I'm going to go find Allura and make sure she is alright. Why don't you go ahead and join Lance and Edward?" He suggested, giving him a gentle nudge in that direction.

"Will you tell Allura I'm not mad at her? I get why she reacted like that and I won't hold it against her." Keith asked and Coran gave him a proud smile and nod.

"Of course, Number 4. I'll make sure she knows." He assured him and Keith gave him a thankful smile before heading back to the medbay.

* * *

For the first varga after she had fled to her room, Allura had raged until she was exhausted. Now she was sitting on the edge of her bed, surrounded by the evidence of her temper tantrum and was sobbing into her hands. She felt humiliated and so angry – at herself, Keith, the other or some combination, she didn't know – and she was grateful to Brigadier-General Mustang for suggestion she find somewhere peaceful to work out her emotions because she knew this behaviour was unbecoming of an Altean Princess. She vaguely wondered where Coran was; Mustang had promised he'd be told about what happened and she could really use his company and words. At the same time, she didn't wish for him to see the evidence of her tantrum so she hoped he wouldn't find her for a while. Her luck had never been that good and a gentle knock sounded.

"Allura? Are you in there?" Coran's worried voice sounded over the private intercom attached to her room. She sobbed as she realised she couldn't hear any sort of reproach in his voice, just pure concern. "Allura, I'm going to come in. I apologise but I am very worried." He told her and before she could do much more than make a strangled sound of protest, Coran had entered his override code and walked in through the doors.

The first thing Coran was greeted with was the evidence of Allura's distressed state. Everything that had been on her dresser was scattered on the floor. Her bed spread was half off the bed, like she had tried to pull it off but didn't manage it. Some of her clothes were on the floor in rumpled piles and there were a few books and knick-knacks of hers that she had thrown across the room in a fir of rage. Coran was thankful to see that none of the baubles had broke as many of them had been gifts from her parents. Allura would have been devastated to realise she'd broken something from her parents because she was upset. The princess herself was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at Coran with wide, ashamed eyes and tear tracks marring her face.

"Oh, Allura." Coran sighed as he walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and returned it tenfold. "You're alright. Everything's okay. Calm down." He said soothingly, rubbing her back gently. They hadn't sat like this since a couple of quintets after finding the new Paladins. They'd settled into something of a routine with them and the loss of everything and everyone they knew had finally hit both Alteans hard. Allura had been the one to seek Coran at the time and they'd sat together, holding each other tight as they wept for their planet and their people.

Allura felt like a small child once more as she clung to Coran while she wept. She was slightly surprised at the fact she still had tears left in her after everything. She was even more surprised that Coran wasn't berating her for her behaviour. Now that she'd gotten all of her anger and frustration out in a fashion that was decidedly not a way for a princess to behave, she was starting to see the truth behind what everyone had said. Especially what Shiro had said. She felt her cheeks burn with shame as she replayed his words in her mind. Coran continued rubbing her back and saying soothing words to her while she cried on his chest.

"I'm sorry." She sniffled when she managed to stem her tears and pull herself up off him. He gently pushed her hands away from her face and wiped her tears for her. "I almost did something really stupid, Coran. Father would have been so disappointed with me." She hiccupped slightly as Coran hushed her.

"When Lance found me in the medical bay and pulled me aside to tell me something had happened to you, I was worried that there had been a spy amongst the freed aliens or that somehow, a Galran had bypassed our security and attacked you. I almost hurt Lance in my haste to get to you but he stopped me and assured me you were physically fine. I demanded to know what had happened and he explained everything to me about what happened when you found out about Keith's parentage. I apologise I didn't come and find you straight away but I needed to make sure Lance would be alright in the medical ward without me. Then Keith and Edward turned up to offer Lance a hand." Coran told her and Allura felt her breath hitch at the mention of the red Paladin.

"What happened?" She asked when Coran wasn't immediately forthcoming with any more information. What she was really asking was whether Keith was mad at her. She wouldn't blame him if he wanted nothing to do with her.

"He asked me to make sure you were alright and to tell you that he wasn't angry at you for how you reacted." Coran told her. She stuttered out a small, surprised 'oh' but Coran continued talking before she could say anything. "After I found out what happened, I watched the feed from the surveillance cameras in the room, just so I could be sure I knew everything that happened. So, I heard and saw everything that happened." He told her and she sighed, looking away from him in shame.

"I know what you're going to say, Coran. I should've been able to keep a calm head. I shouldn't have let my emotions control me like that. I should have excused myself from the room rather than react how I did. My behaviour was unbecoming of an Altean Princess and I know. I am so ashamed of what happened. I keep thinking about everything they said and I can still remember everything I wanted to say before the others intervened. Coran, what I would've said to Keith was  _awful_." She whispered to him, eyes flicking up to meet Coran's momentarily before she averted them again.

"So, you've already thought about what everyone said?" Coran asked her, a little surprised at that. He remembered the last time Allura had been told the way she handled something was wrong. She had only been fifteen or so at the time and refused to listen to Coran or anyone about how she should've handled the situation and what she would have to do so Altea didn't lose a significant ally. Her father had eventually had enough of her petulant attitude towards the situation, ordered Coran to bring her to his office and leave so he could talk to her in private. Coran had never found out what happened behind those doors but Allura had come out crying and angry, locking herself in her room for the night before emerging the next morning, tired but determined. She had gone straight up to the dignitary she had had the misunderstanding with and apologised, handling the situation beautifully and the shaky alliance had solidified.

"Did you hear what Shiro said to me?" She asked. Coran stayed silent, only giving her the slightest nod of his head. "He'd told me that he didn't blame me for what he had suffered at Haggar's hands after finding out she was Altean once because it wasn't right to hate someone for what another of their race had done. He told me blaming Keith for Altea's destruction just because he was half-Galran would be reprehensible."

"I don't think he used that many words but that is the gist of what I heard." Coran said. "What do you think now that you've had some time to calm down?" He asked gently.

"I think he was right. They were all right. Keith had no say in who his parents were any more than I did and I almost destroyed our friendship because I heard about his lineage and couldn't stop my hate for the Galran from overriding my emotions. I think that if my father had witnessed that, he would have been so angry at me." Allura sobbed.

"No, I think he would have been disappointed but he would have understood why you reacted like you did. You're still young, Allura, and you've been forced to grow up so much in the last few months since we were released from the cryo-tubes." Coran told her.

"Father would never have reacted the same way I did, had he joined us in the cryo-tubes. We both know that." Allura told him, a touch harsher than necessary. She seemed to have noticed immediately because her face crumpled. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped." She apologised.

"I know you didn't mean it. Your apology is accepted." Coran assured her. "Your father may have handled it a lot more diplomatically than you had but I assure you that at your age, he wouldn't have. Your father had several more years of experience than you currently have. There were several situations your father had to deal with on Altea that he hated, despised even, but he never showed it because he knew how to hide it completely thanks to all of his previous experience. You do not have all of his life experiences to fall back on like he did. You cannot keep measuring yourself against him in these sorts of situations and he wouldn't want you too." Coran told her. There was silence for a few dobashes while she let his words sink in.

"What should I do, Coran?" She asked, looking at him with wet eyes. "I don't want this to ruin mine and Keith's friendship and I don't want it to affect my friendship with everyone else." She hiccupped on a so, voice barely comprehensible by the end of her sentence.

"I think you need to figure that out for yourself, Allura. All the advice I can give you is that an apology is definitely necessary but I will not tell you how or who to give one too. I'll stand behind your decision, as I always have, but I cannot hold your hand for you for this." He told her, a touch morosely. "This is a situation that has to be completely dealt with and resolved by you and you alone."

"You're right, Coran." She stood up, scrubbing her face with her hands before looking determined. "I need to do this myself." She went to head for her door before Coran quickly stood in her way.

"Might I suggest a shower first? Maybe tidy the mess you've made in here up as well. You can use the time to think about what you wish to say." Coran suggested. "We've got everything under control for now so you can spare a couple of vargas to spend to yourself and this room." Coran told her, looking pointedly at the mess around them. "I don't think the laundry bots Number 5 made take much care when there are other things on the floor." He told her and she flushed slightly. She hadn't been thinking about what she was grabbing and had just thrown everything within her reach to the floor during her tantrum. Looking at everything on the floor, she could see several precious mementos from her father and mother and was beyond thankful when she realised that, by some miracle, everything survived intact.

'I think that would be wise. Would you find Keith and tell him that I'm alright and that I wish to speak with him once I've taken care of everything in here?" She asked, not quite sure if Coran would agree.

"Of course, Princess." Coran bowed before hugging her close. "I am so pleased you left before you said something worse to Keith. I am very proud of you for realising that Keith is not the Galra and your father would be proud of you as well." Coran whispered to her, holding on tighter as she clung to him. Eventually they did separate.

"Thank you, Coran. I will join everyone for our evening meal." The lunchtime meal had passed by while she had been venting her frustrations on her room.

"Very good, Princess. I shall let Hunk and everyone know you will be attendance." He told her, bowing once more before leaving her to herself.

Sighing, she glanced around the room and felt a flash of anger at herself. She had behaved like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten their way when she entered her room. Shaking her head at her behaviour, she started to clear up the mess she had made, starting with the fragile figurines and other ornaments her parents had gifted her, placing them carefully in their assigned spots before picking up her clothing and returning it to their hangars or drawers. Then she cleaned up her spilt make-up, hair products and other such items that had been on her dresser and replaced them so they were organised for her once more. After that, she straightened her bedspread and gathered the cushions and pillows she had yanked off the bed and thrown at whatever she could. Cleaning her room so it was back to its previously tidy state took over a varga and she was exhausted by the end of it. Gathering some clean clothes to change into, she headed for a shower and took her time. Emerging clean and refreshed, she sat on the edge of her bed and realised there was still three or so vargas until the evening meal. Sighing, she laid on her bed and tried to figure out what she would say to Keith to prove to the young man how truly sorry she was. She was still trying to figure it out when she fell into a light doze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up. Chapter 19 will be posted in 3 days time then this story will updated once a week


	19. Chapter 19

"I see Coran didn't kill you or whatever other worst-case scenario you had going through your mullet-brain." Lance grinned impishly when Keith appeared in the doorway. His grin only grew when Keith scowled at him.

"Shut up." He grumbled. "And what is it with you and my hair?" He asked, scowl back in place.

"It is an insult to hair everywhere." Lance told him seriously. "Edward will back me up."

"Edward will do no such thing since I don't see the problem with it. It's just hair." Ed said from where he was sitting against Blue, tucked away so he wasn't being stared at by the bed-ridden aliens. He had his tablet and was reading the virtual library Pidge had put on there for him. Which actually contained every single book in the Castle's library.

"Betrayal!" Lance cried, clutching his heart dramatically. "How could you turn on me like this?" He asked as he turned a betrayed expression towards Edward, who stared at him flatly.

"You do realise you're asking the dude who usually washes his hair with soap because he can't be fucked packing shampoo on missions for his opinion on someone else's hair?" Ed asked him and Lance gasped in horror.

"You use soap instead of shampoo?" He almost sounded like he wanted to cry.

"Could you be any more dramatic? It's just hair." Keith muttered as he headed for Red.

"Don't challenge him!" Ed hissed when Keith sat down and both looked up at the brunette before breathing out a sigh of relief. He was still trying to process the fact that Ed didn't always wash his hair with shampoo.

"Once Coran is back from talking with Allura, you and I sitting down to discuss proper hair care." Lance decreed and Ed groaned.

"Do I have to?" He asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes. It is absolutely essential." Lance told him, nodding his head firmly. Ed groaned while Keith sniggered slightly, masking it as a small cough. Ed glared at him.

"See if I save you from any more mullet comments now." Ed vowed and Keith grinned apologetically.

"I'm just happy to get the small break." Keith told him and Ed growled. Both Red and Blue were laughing in his head so he scowled at them as well but it only made them laugh harder.

"Maybe Truth will take Mustang and I back before that happens." Ed said hopefully. "But I doubt it. Truth is a dick that way." Ed sighed resignedly.

"How will you know when Truth is going to send you back to Amestris?" Keith asked. Lance seemed to have snapped out of his shock in time to hear Keith's question and was looking a little sad at the idea of Ed leaving.

"I'm not actually sure." Ed said. "The first time we dimension-hopped, Truth pulled me into its world when I fell asleep the first time after I completed the mission. The second time, Truth had nothing to do with sending me or Mustang to Earth so we had to find our own way back. Thank fuck Al had gotten Teacher to Central to try and open the portal or we might've been stuck there for a while. Who knows when it'll decide to scoop us up and toss us back?" Ed sighed.

"So you could disappear at any time?" Lance asked and Ed nodded.

"But I doubt it'll do so without some kind of warning if it's not going to wait for Mustang and me to be asleep." Ed told him with a small smile. Lance and Keith still looked sad. "It's not like I'm dying, guys. Stop looking so miserable." Ed scolded lightly.

" _They're sad because they'll miss you. They've grown to consider you a close friend and they don't like the idea that you could leave at any moment."_  Blue told him and Red agreed.  _"I know that none of us Lions want you to ever leave."_  She told him, nudging his cheek gently.

"What is she telling you?" Lance asked as he noticed the slight pink spreading on Ed's cheeks as Blue nuzzled him affectionately.

"Just how much you're gonna miss me. Red said the same thing." Ed told them, grinning when their faces turned tomato-red in no time. Lance's tablet beeped at him and the distraction was obviously a welcome relief, even if Ed's laughter at his expense wasn't. Lance read the notification and headed for the patient it was referring too. Ed peeked around the corner and saw it was the orange-scaled alien. The peach-skinned alien next to them looked alert as Lance made his way over.

"Hello. How are you feeling?" Lance asked with a blinding smile, putting both aliens at immediate ease.

"I'm feeling well. Much better than I did earlier." They answered happily. Lance nodded as he checked a couple of things.

"That's really wonderful to hear. According to my data here, you've almost completely recovered. I'd like to take you off the drip and keep you here for half a varga to see how you cope without it. If you're still good after that, you and your companion are welcome to go and join everyone else. Does that sound alright with you?" Lance asked, never losing his easy smile. The two aliens looked at each other before the orange-scaled one nodded. "Excellent! I'll just take the drip away now. Would you mind moving away just for a moment?" Lance asked the peach-skinned alien.

"Of course, blue Paladin." They dipped their head in respect as they left their seat and hovered at the foot of the bed.

"It's just Lance." He told them with a smile and a wink before he settled next to the orange-scaled alien and gestured for her to extend her arm. "This might pinch a little." He warned as he grabbed a scrap of gauze and held it above the needle before sliding it quickly and smoothly out of the vein, pressing the gauze down to stem the blood flow. The alien had winced as the needle came out. "Sorry. Hold pressure on this for a few dobashes and I'll be back to check on the bleeding." Lance told them as he stood to remove the I.V. bag and line from the stand to dispose of it.

"Thank you, Lance." The patient smiled as their friend took their original spot once again.

"No worries." Lance smiled back, disposing of the empty bag and needle in a bin before checking on the rest of the patients and those in the healing pods. Satisfied with what he saw and heard, he headed back to Ed and Keith.

"When you get sick of the Paladin business, you've definitely got a place in the medical field." Ed told him, awe in his voice.

"Why do you sound impressed? I removed an I.V. needle and discussed keeping her for half a varga." Lance asked, looking at him puzzled before focusing on the tablet once again.

"Dude, you were so good with them! You kept them all calm and shit. If I'd tried that, it wouldn't have ended well cuz I'd probably have told them to sit down and shut up." Ed told him honestly, causing Keith to nod in solidarity. "Not to mention, I barely know how to deal with humans who need medical attention and you've got like 8 different species in there. I'd have probably mixed them up by now and made things worse. You're awesome at this stuff." Lance's cheeks flushed with the compliment.

"Coran's done most of the work and the tablet helps with the rest." Lance mumbled as he tried to stop his cheeks from feeling like they were burning.

"Dude, stop avoiding the compliment. No one else was confident enough to help me with my injuries on the ship. I saw Hunk's relief when you offered to take over. I think Hunk thought he might mess up somehow. You're awesome with the medical stuff. Deal with it." Ed told him bluntly. From the look on his face, Ed figured Lance hadn't quite been told to take a compliment is such an aggressive way.

"Speaking of your injuries, mind if I check on them?" Lance asked. Ed and Keith shared an eye roll.

"Only if you admit you're good at medical stuff." Ed said. Lance looked exasperated, eyes flicking to Keith for some help. Keith offered nothing but a smirk.

"Don't bother asking me for help. I'm taking notes so I can give this stuff to the others to use on you in the future." Lance looked at him in confusion. "You always wiggle out of a genuine compliment whenever someone tries to give you one. Don't bother denying it. We've noticed." Keith told him and Lance chuckled a little sheepishly.

"Fine. I'm awesome at medical stuff." Lance said and Ed narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing him. Lance rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm really awesome at medical stuff, the very best unless you count Coran." He said with more conviction.

"And don't you forget it." Ed nodded before gesturing at his face, giving Lance permission to do his thing.

Lance shook his head as he knelt next to Ed and gently pressed his fingers to the blonde's neck, checking the bruise and wounds there first. The wounds created by Haggar's nails were looking good. Lance figured they'd be fully healed by the time Ed woke up. Assuming the blonde slept tonight in which case they'd be healed by morning. The butterfly bandages were turning from blue to green, indicating they were healing nicely. Overall, Lance was happy with how they were going.

"How's your throat?" Lance asked, sitting back so he wasn't as in Ed's personal space as he had been.

"Good. She only bruised the outside of it. Her hold hadn't been tight enough to cut off my breathing completely so my throat wasn't as damaged internally as it was on the surface." Ed told him, sounding far too familiar with how strangulation injuries felt. He obviously noticed the shocked looks on Keith and Lance's faces and he rolled his eyes. "Guys, seriously, I hunt criminal alchemists down for a living. They usually don't carry any weapon other than their arrays. Once you've destroyed that, their options on how they can kill you drastically narrows to their bare hands or an item that just so happens to be within reach. Most don't try beating you to death so strangulation is usually the only option left." He told them, matter-of-factly.

" _Dios_. Your medical scans really weren't exaggerated was it?" Lance asked. "You got most of those injuries fighting criminals, didn't you?" Lance sounded sad. Keith looked confused and concerned, which was an interesting mix.

"Most of them, yeah. I did break my arm twice doing stupid shit as a kid. Then there was the time I broke my collar-bone when I fell off a small cliff on my way back from a completed mission. And the time an old, dilapidated house collapsed while I was inside it, looking for evidence someone had done an illegal transmutation inside, which I had absolutely  _nothing_  to do with, no matter what that bastard tells you. My point is that some of my injuries weren't caused by a criminal who didn't want to go to jail." Ed told them. He looked up to be met with mildly worried looks.

"I'm not sure if that's actually better or worse." Keith admitted. Lance nodded his agreement. "You're just a walking magnet for trouble, aren't you?" He asked, causing Red and Blue to look at their respective Paladins with amusement.

" _Because they're ones to talk."_  Both of the Lions huffed to their Paladins and Ed, causing Ed to grin and both Paladins to look offended and/or sheepish.

" _I don't know what's so amusing but would you and Keith mind coming and helping my pilot deliver food to the freed aliens so he has more time to work on our dinner?"_  Yellow's voice sounded in Ed's head, sounding a little amused with them. Ed sent back an assurance they'd be there shortly.

"As if you really don't know." Ed felt Yellow's laughter, which was just as good as a confession in Ed's books before he turned to the others, who were looking at him with mild amusement. "Hunk needs us in the kitchens. Are you okay here with Blue?" Ed asked Lance.

"Yes, we'll be fine. Go help Hunkalicious create whatever god-worthy feast he's cooking up for us." Lance said, making a shooing motion towards the door, eyes glazing over at the thought of Hunk's cooking. Keith and Ed just shook their head as they and Red left the medbay.

* * *

Hunk had finished his count of the freed prisoners who were still hungry and was back in the kitchens when he realised there were barely any clean plates or bowls left so he got stuck into washing them, sighing as he did so. Washing up was by far his least favourite part of cooking, even if it was necessary. Once completed with that chore and having been half-tempted to take up Yellow's offer to lick the plates clean, resisting only because he didn't know how many of their newest passengers had used cutlery and it wouldn't have been hygienic, he got stuck into drying everything so he could use them all. Only once he'd dried the last plate did he realise how much time had passed. There was only a couple of hours until dinner time for the permanent residents of the Castle and the two alchemists and he still had to get food goo to the guests plus actually start on dinner for the team.

" _I can ask Ed and Keith to lend a hand?"_  Yellow suggested when she sensed her Paladin's distress grow at a frightening pace.

"You are a lifesaver, girl." Hunk said, wrapping his arms around her neck in a big, warm, Hunk hug. She chuckled fondly as his actions before contacting Ed.

" _He said he'll be here shortly."_  Yellow told him and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Right. We should start plating some up. Is Red coming with them? Wait, that's a stupid question. Never mind." Hunk rambled slightly as he got to work. Yellow rolled her eyes and helped by nudging plates out of the way once they had goo on them. Hunk was just counting how many plates had goo on them when Red, Keith and Red came through the door and greeted him and Yellow.

"What do you want us to do?" Ed asked as he leant up against the bench.

"Start placing these plates on the cart and take it to the main common room. I can start organising our dinner then." Hunk ordered and the two got to work doing as they were told. Red and Yellow were absolutely no help whatsoever and Red just laughed when Keith grumbled about it.

Once loaded, the two boys and Red headed for the main common room to deliver the food. Mustang and Shiro were still in there taking down all the information they needed to help each alien get home. They'd apparently split up in order to try and complete the task quicker but despite the Castle's real-time translator, there was still some confusion with a couple of the aliens whose language seemed to be a series of grunts and whistles. Ed was fascinated with it but didn't spend much time listening as he handed out the food goo to those who had asked for it.

"Are you going to offer to translate for them?" Ed asked Black telepathically when he had a spare moment.

" _No."_  She said simply.

"Why not?" He asked, intrigued by her refusal.

" _Shiro hasn't asked me too and it's amusing watching them struggle."_  She told him, grinning toothily in his direction.  _"I want to see how long it takes Shiro to figure out I know the language and can help."_  She admitted when he quirked a brow.

"Fair enough. However, I don't think the alien is taking their inability to understand them very well." Ed said, nodding his head at the small, yellow alien who did look like they were getting more and more frustrated. "What system and planet are they from?" Ed asked as he made his way over to Shiro.

" _The Camdea system. Planet – well, the name loosely translates to 'Dillianna'. You're such a spoilsport though."_  Black pouted as Ed snatched Shiro's tablet from him, smacked his hand when he attempted to grab it back and started scrolling through the systems and planets listed. Tapping a couple of times, he turned the tablet around and presented it the small alien who made a shrill noise and nodded excitedly before wrapping it small arms around Ed's knees and hugged him quickly before letting go.

"How the-?" Shiro asked when Ed handed him the tablet back while Mustang was trying not to laugh at Ed's reaction to the hug. It helped that he wanted to know how Ed knew what the alien was saying.

"Your Lion knows the language. She translated for me. She probably would've done so for you as well, if you'd thought to ask her." Ed told him and could feel Black's haughtiness as Shiro realised he'd never even thought to ask Black. He was very quick to apologise to her and she seemed to warm up a little with the genuine apology. "Takes notes, Mustang, cuz you're gonna owe Miss Riza one helluva an apology when we get sent back home." Ed told him, causing the man to make an interesting that was both fear and annoyance. Ed suspected the annoyance was aimed towards him rather than Hawkeye. Ed grinned at him before going back to Keith and helping him with the last of the plates.

By the time they handed the last of the food goo out, those who had been given the first plates were finished so they decided to do Hunk a further solid and collect the empty plates. They usually didn't have long to wait between batches of aliens finishing so they amused themselves in the small lulls by watching Shiro trying to make amends with Black every chance he got. Ed knew Black was just being a little shit but he saw no reason to share that with anyone except Keith. Keith thought it was hilarious and almost dropped the plate he had been handed when Ed told him. Shiro looked over suspiciously and gave their innocent expressions a flat look, disbelief clearly evident despite the look. Keith gave him a 'what can you do' shrug that had Shiro rolling his eyes before turning to face the alien who had just approached him.

* * *

The last of the plates were collected so Keith and Ed headed back to the kitchen. Shiro had asked if they wanted to take over the data collection rather than sit in the kitchen or medbay. Keith and Ed shared a look before telling Shiro they were already doing such a good job that they wouldn't want to disrupt the flow of it before leaving so they didn't hear Shiro's response. Hunk almost wanted to ask what their barely-suppressed giggles were for before deciding he probably didn't want to know and turned back to his preparations.

"Can you guys wash those please?" Hunk asked as he eyed the dirty dishes.

"I'll dry." Ed said immediately, causing Keith to groan in annoyance. The sound of someone heading towards the kitchen had them curiously watching the doorway only to find Coran entering the room. Ed could immediately sense Keith's apprehension the moment he laid eyes on the orange-haired Altean.

"Allura would like me to let you all know she will be joining us for the evening meal. Number 4, Allura also wanted me to pass along a message from her. She is alright and she wishes to talk to you privately before the evening meal. I believe she will find you once she has finished what she has to do." Coran told him. He must've noticed Keith's tense posture because his face softened as he added a reassurance. "She really isn't mad at you; only disappointed in herself and terrified she has irreparably damaged her friendship with you." He told the red pilot. Keith's relief was palpable as he nodded.

"Okay. Thanks, Coran." He gave the Altean a shaky, half smile.

"Anytime. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check and see how Lance fared with all of those patients." Coran told them, turning on his heel and disappearing back down the corridor before anyone could say anything. Ed gave Blue a heads up and she assured him she'd pass the message onto Lance.

"I swear, Coran is part ninja with how quickly he appears and disappears." Hunk muttered. Ed and Keith shook their heads before getting started on the dishes. Ed went to pull off and stuff his gloves into his pocket out of habit when he remembered that they were water-proof and didn't have to do that anymore.

The three of them got lost in the routine they'd quickly formed. Both Yellow and Red joined them in the small talk they had going, sharing stories from their childhood. Hunk and Keith regaled Ed with stories from the Garrison or Hunk and Lance's adventures from before the Garrison. Ed, in turn, told them about a few of his missions and the things he and Al had gotten up to in between missions.

They were joined a few minutes into the story-telling by Lance and Blue. Lance was quick to tell them that Coran had sent him away with assurances that he could handle everything since most of the bed-ridden patients were well enough to head to the main common room. Lance had just come back from escorting them to the common room when Blue decided to find out what they were all laughing about and headed this way. Once he knew what they were doing, he was quick to join in with stories from when his family still lived in Cuba and positive energy permeated the room again.

* * *

It disappeared almost completely when Allura appeared half a varga before dinner was normally served. Lance had been in the middle of a regaling story about the time his youngest brother had pranked his oldest sister by replacing her blonde toner with temporary purple hair dye when Allura entered the room. Red looked at her, gaze scrutinising before ignoring her completely. Allura didn't blame her for her attitude in the slightest. She let Lance finish his story, causing the other three to laugh as he told them that his mother had gotten home just in time to stop his sister murdering his brother. She cleared her throat gently but it was enough to catch everyone's attention and she wasn't the only one to notice Keith's features go carefully neutral, though his eyes betrayed his fear.

"Keith, I was wondering if I may have a word please? In private?" She allowed her own fear at rejection sound in her voice. Red looked up at Keith from where she lay and they must've had a short conversation because Keith nodded.

"Sure, Allura." He said, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Lance, get your arse over here and take over for Keith." Ed said when it looked like the blue pilot might follow them, concerned for both his friends. Lance let himself be drawn over to Ed as they playfully snarked at each other but he didn't stop his worrying until after Keith and Allura had left and Ed pointed out that Red hadn't been phased by Allura which meant Keith likely wasn't going to attacked. Plus, Ed said, even if he was, Red would protect him. Blue added her own assurances that Allura meant no harm and Lance let himself get drawn back into the previous conversation as he washed dishes, though he'd be lying if he said there still wasn't a little bit of worry there.

* * *

Allura, Keith and Red left the kitchen, Red ignoring Keith's suggestion to stay there, and headed for a small room that Coran had told them used to be a small break room/extra pantry for the kitchen staff if there was a very extravagant party planned with lots of food and lots of staff. Keith and Red settled against a table while Allura herself stood just out of arms reach and looking all sorts of anxious.

"I'm sorry-"

"Keith, I owe you an apolo- you're sorry?" Allura asked as she realised what Keith had said, despite the fact she'd spoken over him accidentally. "Why are you sorry?" She asked, absolutely confused that he could have anything to apologise for.

"Because I didn't handle your anger as well as I should have. I snapped at you as well and I don't doubt that if the others hadn't interrupted, you wouldn't have been the only one to say some choice things that they didn't mean." Keith admitted, cheeks flushing as he remembered exactly what he had been thinking when Ed had first budged into the confrontation.

"You don't need to apologise for that. It was a very unexpected and stressful situation for the both us and neither of us handled it as well as we should have been able to and I will take responsibility for that." Keith went to protest but she held a slender, tanned hand up and he stopped before he could say anything. "If I had kept a level head, you would not have felt the need to defend yourself. That is my fault and mine alone."

"I don't think either of us were expecting that sort of news." Keith said, a small smile playing on his lips for half a second. "You don't need to talk the full blame for what happened. I could've tried harder to not bite back but I let myself get too emotional. I'm usually a lot better at keeping that sort of stuff under control." Keith frowned at himself in annoyance. Allura gave a half-giggle at his expense.

"I think Lance and Hunk have been rubbing off on you." She told him conspiratorially, complete with a small wink and another giggle when he groaned before they turned serious once more. "I am so sorry, Keith. I acted like a child and I took it out on you. If Edward and the others hadn't stepped in, I know I would've said some particularly awful things that I wouldn't have meant but I would've said them anyway just to make you hurt as much as I was. The thing is that I wasn't even mad at you, not really. I was angry at the fact that you were living proof that my view of the Galran was wrong to a degree and I lashed out because it meant I would've had to change my outlook on them. Hurting you was my stupid way of trying to keep everything as it was for just a little longer rather than handle the situation in a manner befitting an Altean Princess." She explained as best she could but she felt she wasn't doing a good enough job. "You are one of my closest friends and I almost destroyed that single-handedly because I couldn't handle change. If I had lost your friendship, I would have regretted it every single moment of my life. I was completely selfish and only thought about how your news would affect my life rather than put that aside like a good friend and realise how much your life would change because of it. I pray you can forgive me but I understand if you need more time and I will respect your wishes if you need some space." She sincerely hoped he wouldn't ask for some because she would appreciate the chance to prove her apology was sincere but she would respect his wishes.

"I'm no good with this emotional stuff. I'm honestly half-tempted to have Red tell Yellow what I'm feeling and bring Hunk in to act as a translator but I'll do my best." Keith chuckled self-deprecatingly and Allura felt her hope rise slightly. "I'm not angry at you. I don't even blame you for how you reacted considering I reacted in the exact same way. I'm not good at the whole having friends thing. Until I got claimed by Red, the only friend I'd ever had was Shiro after my father passed away and I'm still not sure how he didn't give up on me after the first couple of months. I don't want to lose any of you, not even Lance, if I don't have too." Allura shook her head slightly in amusement but allowed Keith to finish. "I don't think you need to ask for forgiveness but I'll give it if you can do the same." Keith told her, finally looking up to meet her eyes and took a slight step back when he saw her tears. He was about to panic because he did not know how to deal with someone crying when she rushed forward and wrapped him in a strong hug.

"You didn't do anything to me that would require my forgiveness but I'll give it to you freely if it means you truly aren't mad at me and are still my friend." Allura sobbed into his neck as Keith got with the program and hugged her back. Keith looked at Red, slightly panicked, and found absolutely no help forthcoming from his Lion.

"I'm still your friend. I swear." Keith assured her, tucking his chin on her shoulder as he felt her tears soak into his red and white jacket.

"And I'm still yours." She assured him in between sobs. Even though Coran had told her Keith wasn't mad in the slightest, part of her had been a tight knot of nerves and anxiety. Though rare, Coran could still be wrong when it came to this sort of thing so she wasn't sure what she was feeling when she asked Keith for a private talk. The anxious part of her was telling her Keith was going to laugh in her face and tell her to stay away from him and part of her believed Coran but the biggest part of her didn't know what to think and that's what made her the most nervous. So when Keith told her she was forgiven, even if he didn't think she'd done anything that required forgiveness, she was not ashamed to admit that her relief was overwhelming and that her instinct to hug him, to assure herself this wasn't a dream, was even more so and she didn't bother trying to hold herself back.

To her immense relief, Keith hugged back. It took him a couple of moments but he still hugged her back and Allura had to remind herself that it wasn't every day she threw herself at her Paladins for a hug and Keith would be the one who would be least prepared for it. So when she felt him hesitantly hug her back then his grip tighten when he realised she wasn't going to pull away, it hit her that she truly hadn't lost this friendship and that's when the tears really started flowing. She wasn't sure how long they stood there for, hugging each other, when Keith started pulling away.

"Red says Hunk says dinner is ready and that if we haven't killed each other, we should go and join them before everything gets eaten by Edward." Keith told her and she nodded, chuckling a little at Hunk's message. "We're good, Allura. I promise." Keith assured her as she wiped her cheeks free of any stray tears.

"Thank you, Keith. Truly. I'm glad you're my friend." She smiled at him and he gave her a small but genuine smile back.

"Me too." He told her before they and Red headed for the door so they could join the rest of their weird little family.

* * *

When Pidge had led her father and brother to the bridge, she knew half of her mind was stuck on whether Allura and Keith would be okay. Tensions had been so high when Allura had left that Pidge was genuinely worried about whether her two friends would manage to come out this okay. Green could only try and comfort her, which she appreciated, but the not-knowing was pissing her off. She didn't like not being certain about things.

Her father and brother could sense something was wrong and they were just as smart as her so they were able to put two and two together pretty quickly but they didn't know how to comfort her since they didn't know Keith or Allura, having spent only a few hours in total with either of them so they weren't able to say with any sort of confidence which way they thought this situation would go. They hoped – more for Pidge's sake than anything else – that they would work it out and their friendship would only grow stronger, which is what they told Pidge, but they weren't confident they would and prepared themselves in case it did go pear-shaped.

Their plan of attack to help Pidge was to distract her from her thoughts about her friends. So the moment they got back into the bridge, they bombarded Pidge with any question they could think of that they hadn't already asked her. They wanted to know about everything so it wasn't really a chore to think of questions to ask and the grateful glance from Green told them that she knew what the men were trying to do and it was appreciated so they continued with it. The bridge was massive and filled with unbelievable technology that Sam and Matt would have never dreamed of before their nearly two years being held captive.

The added bonus to asking all of these questions was that the two men could listen to Pidge enthusiastically describe everything. Her young, excitable voice helped drown out the memories that plagued them. Neither man knew the other was thinking the same thing as them but they were half convinced that this was a very elaborate hallucination created by Haggar. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd tried that on them but no matter how good Haggar had been at creating illusions, at mimicking her prey's loved ones voices, she never could get the positive emotions quite correct. Any time Sam heard Colleen tell him she loved him, asked him questions about how his day was going – a trick to try and get him to relax enough to answer all of Haggar's questions – he noticed her voice just wasn't as warm as it normally was. That was how he knew he was under some kind of spell by Haggar. Pidge's voice as she spoke and explained everything was completely perfect in a way Haggar had never been able to replicate.

They hadn't done anything more than ask questions and let Pidge explain while she kept an eye on the Castle's systems. However, time passed by extremely quickly and the next thing they all knew, Pidge had straightened up slightly before looking at the clock and letting out a surprised noise.

"Damn, it really is dinner time." She turned to Sam and Matt. "Yellow has told Green that Hunk wants us in the dining room now. Dinner is ready and Allura is apparently joining us." She told them as she led them through the doors after a final check of the systems. She had been appropriately smug upon learning that her tampering of the robot sentries she'd gotten her claws in had done their job and spread the virus and override codes to every ship connected to Zarkon's ship. If they'd ever hailed Zarkon personally, they had to leave a record on the call logs which included a way to connect to the ship should Zarkon or someone else have ever needed to contact them. This meant Zarkon's ship had a way for Pidge to remotely access the other ships if she needed to. She knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity and added orders to access and infect the other ships with same override codes and virus into a few of the robots. It had worked. Despite the fact that they were no longer cloaked – shielded, yes, but not invisible – there weren't any attempts by the fighters or the larger ships that were still operational to try and attack the Castle. That meant they'd either been completely over run by their robot sentries or they were still fighting back. Either way, they were leaving the Castle alone for now so no one minded.

* * *

Pidge, Sam, Matt and Green all entered the dining room to find only Keith, Red, Allura and Coran missing. When asked, Lance told them Coran was staying in medical until Lance finished dinner, at which time Lance was going to take over so Coran could have a few vargas rest. Shiro offered to go with him to help but Lance waved him off. There were only a few patients left, most still in the healing pods, so all Lance would be doing is rearranging stuff and cleaning up while keeping an eye on the pods. Shiro didn't push the matter, mainly because Keith, Allura and Red entered the room. Red headed straight for her spot in between Edward and Keith's seat. Keith was quick to follow while Allura stayed standing behind her own chair. More than a couple of people glanced at Keith before looking at Allura when Keith shrugged, indicating he had no clue.

"As a couple of you know, I have spoken privately to Keith and offered him my sincerest apologies." Allura said, refusing to look away or at the ground like she wanted too. Instead, she met all of their eyes at some point while she was talking. "While Keith and I have made amends to one another and bear no ill-feelings to each other, I am aware that I owe all of you an apology as well. While I never acted to you in the manner that I unjustly treated Keith, my behaviour was exceptionally uncalled for and there should have been no reason for you all to witness that kind of reaction. I should have had much more control over my emotions than I showed and there should have been no reason that any of you, not just Keith, should have witnessed that atrocious behaviour." She held a hand up to quell the onslaught of protests that bubbled up from those at the table. "I am a Princess of Altea. Despite my best efforts, I am still young. I should not have even been considering taking over my father's duties for many more deca-phoebes, if I was lucky. My father would have been able to handle that kind of surprise with far more grace and civility than I obviously did. But Coran spoke to me and reminded me that I am not my father. I am still young and inexperienced in many ways when compared to the King my father was. But one thing my father had known by the time he was my age was how to keep his emotions and pre-conceived notions from over-clouding his thoughts and judgements. This is something I had obviously never learnt as well as I thought I had. Keith almost paid the price and all of you would've suffered the fallout had Edward not stepped in, encouraging the rest of you to do so as well, and stopped me from speaking my mind. I am not proud of my behaviour and I sincerely hope all of you can forgive me for my indiscretion." She stood tall as she waited for them to speak.

"Allura, I think I speak for all of us when I say there is no reason for us to forgive you for anything. You didn't do anything that requires it. I don't doubt all of us here have reacted to some news in a way that we were ashamed of once we had calmed down. Unfortunately, it's not something anyone could prepare anyone else for. It's one of those things you learn by doing. As long as you do learn from it rather than let it become normal behaviour and, from the sounds of it, you are learning from it." Shiro told her with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, what Shiro said." Lance, Pidge and Hunk all agreed.

"Mustang had better pull an apology like that outta somewhere when Miss Riza gets a hold of him or he has no hope of surviving for long, once we're home. But I agree with what Shiro said." Ed told her brusquely.

"Can you please stop bringing up the fact that Hawkeye will likely kill me?" Mustang asked.

"Nope. It reminds me I've got something entertaining to look forward to when we're back in Amestris." Ed told him, grinning sharply. Mustang sighed in defeat.

"I've got no chance of you just not telling her why I dimension-traveled, do I?" He asked and Ed's smile grew wider, which just as good as a verbal response. Mustang turned back to the now amused princess. "Shiro is correct, Princess Allura. There is no need to ask for forgiveness from us when we have already forgiven you." He told her. Sam and Matt nodded in agreement.

"You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you." She bowed to them all before settling at the table finally. As soon as she sat at the table, everyone attacked the food laid out in front of them.

* * *

Lance almost cried because of how spicy half of it was, thought they were tears of joy apparently. When asked by Edward, who was also enjoying the spice levels (most of his enjoyment was really coming from watching Mustang trying not to be affected by it), Hunk admitted it wasn't really a particular Earth dish he was trying to create. He'd heard Lance by chance a couple of nights ago lamenting about how he missed spicy foods to Pidge and decided that if they weren't killed or captured by Haggar or Zarkon, he'd make the spiciest dishes he possibly could. When Lance heard his answer, Ed really was afraid the brunette would actually start crying. Pidge, Sam and Matt all tried the spicy food before opting for the much milder foods in front of them. Keith wasn't as affected by the spice as Pidge but he clearly wasn't at Lance, Edward and Hunk's levels. Mustang was putting on a good show but Ed could tell how much he was struggling. Shiro and Allura ate everything with no complaints and were seemingly oblivious to the spice levels. Shiro revealed he used to sneak wasabi sauce from the pantry when he was little. Ed needed an explanation and Mustang was happy to take a break from the food to ask a couple of questions about the difference between a few of the spices Hunk and Shiro had mentioned.

"Edward, may I ask a question?" Allura asked. Edward looked at her perplexed since she hadn't asked for permission before but he nodded. "When are you and Brigadier-General Mustang leaving for Amestris?" The mood immediately turned somber as everyone seemed to grow sad at the thought of the two alchemists leaving at all. Their behaviour puzzled and warmed Edward all at the same time, on a larger scale than the feeling he'd felt in the medbay when he'd had this discussion with Lance, Keith, Blue and Red.

"We're not actually sure, Miss Allura. The last time Truth sent us somewhere, it waited for the next time I fell asleep to tell me that it was ready to take us back whenever we were ready to pay the toll. Since both of our agreements stipulated a free trip back home, I imagine it'll just take us whenever, though I do suspect that we'll probably be taken when we're both asleep next." Edward told her.

"So tonight may very well be the last night you spend on the Castle?" She asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah." Ed nodded. Allura straightened in her chair as she pushed her empty plate slightly away.

"Will there be any chance Truth will send you a warning before you return home?" She asked and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"Who knows? It could. It couldn't. I'm more willing to lean towards it won't because Truth is a dick that way." Ed told her.

"One of these days, Fullmetal, Truth is going to take offence to how you describe it to people." Mustang sighed. Ed shrugged nonchalantly before leaning back in his chair, having eaten his fill as well. Most of them were finished with their dinner now and were simply relaxing back in their seats until they got the energy to move.

"Do you have any plans for tonight, Edward?" Allura asked and Ed nodded.

"If I can steal all of the Lions, I'd like to work through a few levels with them against the gladiators. I did promise them a training session with just me and them, after all and I haven't delivered yet." Ed grinned when he felt all of the Lions immediately perk up.

"You just went up against Haggar and were almost strangled to death and you want to train?" Mustang wasn't exactly sure why he was surprised.

"Key word there being 'almost', Mustang. Plus, I did promise them a training session with just me and them and if tonight really is our last night aboard the Castle than I've got a very short window to actually fulfill that promise." Ed told him flippantly. Mustang rolled his eyes. Ed flipped him off before looking at the other expectantly.

"Well, it's not like we can really stop them. Blue's really keen anyway." Lance pointed out, scratching Blue behind the ears when she grinned at him.

"True." Pidge said as she nodded at Green who rolled her eyes but looked very happy. "If you give me your tablet, Ed, I'll add upgrades and stuff to it before you leave. With dad and Matt's help, we might even find a way so it runs on alchemic energy rather than electricity. Assuming quintessence and alchemic energy are the same?" She asked and Ed sat back for a moment.

"I think so? I never noticed any difference when I transmuted here compared to back home, only that it's a lot more readily available here than at home. Mustang?" He asked and Mustang shook his head.

"I never felt any difference either. Only what Fullmetal said; we recovered the energy we used a lot quicker here than we would've in Amestris." He told her and she nodded.

"Okay, I can work with that." She told them, sparing a glance at her family, both of whom looked a bit confused. "I'll explain while we work." She assured them, causing them both to relax a little. "When can I have your tablet?" She asked Ed and he shrugged a shoulder carelessly.

"Whenever the Lions steal me for training." All five Lions got up immediately and headed for the door. "Which appears to be now. My tablet is still in the kitchen." He told her and she got up when he did. Evidently, she was going to escort him to the kitchens. Sam and Matt stood up as well and with that, everybody apparently got their after-dinner energy and they were all heading to the kitchens to clean their dirty plates and do whatever they needed to do.

Pidge was given the tablet so she and her family headed towards Green's hangar, which had all of Pidge's gear. Hunk was fixing Coran a plate of dinner with the leftovers, Allura giving him some help with whether Coran would eat the spicy food or not. Lance went to go and boot Coran out of medical so he could eat then ban him from entering the infirmary for at least four vargas. Shiro, Mustang and Keith followed Ed and the Lions and when asked, declared they wanted to watch. Ed looked at the five Lions and left it up to them. They allowed it but Keith and Shiro were told by their Lions that they had to wait in the observatory deck. Ed told Mustang. They agreed and split up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be posted in one week and the story will continue being updated every week until completed


	20. Chapter 20

Ed and the five Lions entered the main training area and after a quick discussion amongst the six of the, Ed set the training level to level 40. The room obliged and 30 odd gladiators, armed to the teeth, were brought up from the floor and readied themselves. Black reported that her Paladin was not overly impressed with them starting with a relatively hard level, considering it was their first training mission together. Ed rolled his eyes, causing Black to laugh since that was what she'd done to Shiro, before checking everyone was ready. Once assured they were, Ed transmuted his blade into existence and called out for the training to start. The gladiators came to life and attacked viciously, swinging staffs, clubs and the odd sword.

Ed and the Lions tore them to pieces. The Lions had their claws and teeth, so sharp that they may as well have been slicing through butter for all the resistance the metal the gladiators were made from offered. Ed had one single moment of hesitance using his blade against the first gladiator that presented him the opportunity. The sharp, bruising whack from the gladiators staff to his flesh arm was all it took for him to push past the hesitancy he had using his blade and all visions of Haggar and his blood coated automail disappeared in a flash as the gladiator was dispatched.

From the way he could see him watching his movements, Ed knew Mustang had noticed and Black confirmed that Shiro had noticed as well. Keith was concerned but not to the same degree as the other two, if Red was interpreting her Paladin's emotions correctly. Ed shook off the disappointed feeling in himself as he took down two gladiators that had tried to sneak up on Blue while she was cutting through another three. At Yellow's call to duck, Ed did so, bending over backwards, and watched as she soared over him to destroy more gladiators. Ed straightened and threw the next gladiator he stabbed at some Green was sneaking up on. His gladiator caused the others to topple and Green scowled before pouncing on them and killing them quickly. Using a staff a gladiator dropped, Ed launched it with all the strength he had in his automail and watched as it impaled two gladiators, one dropping dead but the second one wasn't so fortunate. It was damaged but not to a fatal extent and it went to yank the staff out only to have its arm ripped off by Black and the back of its neck ripped out by Green. With a final slash at the last gladiator's throat, Ed ended the training level and they waited for the room to clear the remains.

"Show off." Mustang's voice called over the intercom system. Ed flipped him off.

"You're just jealous you aren't this good." Ed told him and they could hear a muffled snort from one of the Paladins in the observing deck.

"You keep telling yourself that, brat." Mustang said lightly. "You gonna continue?" He asked and found himself on the end of six 'duh' looks. Mustang decided he wasn't a fan of that.

"Commence next level." Ed demanded the room and sure enough, more gladiators appeared, ready for the training. The Lions and Edward took up their fighting stances and Ed gave the system the go ahead, causing the gladiators to come online and launch themselves forward. Ed and the Lions met them in the middle with a vengeance and a clash.

* * *

"How is it you can go about against a witch who is thousands of years old and come out with relatively minor injuries but you go up against some training robots and you come out with a probably broken arm and dislocated shoulder?" Mustang sighed as he walked with Ed, Shiro, Keith and the Lions to the medbay, despite the blonde's protests that he really didn't need to go. Surprisingly, no one listened to him when Blue told Black to tell Shiro the extent of Ed's injuries.

"Shut the fuck up, bastard." Ed growled as he was basically frog-marched by Shiro and Mustang to the medbay.

" _I'm sorry, Ed."_  Green apologised, closely followed by Blue.

"You two don't need to apologise for anything. I don't think any of us expected the gladiators to be able to throw any of you." Ed told them, peering over his shoulder to look at them with a softer expression than the one he aimed at Mustang just a few moments earlier. "I'm not badly hurt. These two are overreacting." He told them, though his tone made it clear who he speaking to. Both men ignored him.

" _Yes, but if we had been paying attention, you would not have been hurt as badly."_  Yellow pointed out.

"Seriously, guys. My arm isn't broken. It's bruised at best and  _maybe_  fractured at worst. Which is, funnily enough, a non-fatal injury that I can look after myself." Again, these words weren't actually aimed at those he was talking to. "Plus, a dislocated shoulder is nothing. I can put it back into place myself." He told them comfortingly.

He was honestly more annoyed at the fact that no one else seemed as surprised as he and the Lions did at the fact that two gladiators had teamed up and managed to pick Green up and throw her back at them all. Ed had been forced to scramble out of the way and blocked a blow from a gladiator who had taken advantage of his slight disorientation and he had instinctively raised his closest arm to block the blow. Unfortunately, the gladiator had been on his left so it was his left arm that had taken the blow and forced him backwards, making him fall over a downed gladiator and dislocate his shoulder when he hit the ground awkwardly. His groan of pain had captured the attention of the closest Lion and Black had reduced the attacking gladiator to tiny chunks by the time Ed had managed to pick himself back up. They had managed to finish the level but Shiro had then been informed of his injuries and here they were.

"The quiznack happen to you?" Lance asked the moment he spotted them in his medbay. A glance around showed one patient still taking up a bed, one alien keeping them company and three aliens left in the healing pods.

"These two are overreacting. That's what's happening." Ed told him. Lance took one look at the way he was holding his arm and gestured for him to sit on the bed Pidge had been on. Ed did as he was told though he made absolutely certain everyone knew how much he didn't want to. They mostly ignored him.

Lance came back with the scanning device Coran had used on them all earlier and looked at Ed, asking silent permission. After heaving a massive, long-suffering sigh, Ed nodded his head and Lance waved the scanner up and down his entire arm, getting the shoulder in the scam as well before checking the tablet.

"Yeah, so your shoulder's busted but I'm guessing you could figure that out by yourself." Ed leveled him with a 'no shit' stare. Lance took the hint. "Your arm, however, is slightly fractured." Lance told him. Ed groaned.

"So, I'm gonna be stuck in a cast for like a month and a half?" Ed asked, annoyed and scowling at his own arm.

"Nope." Lance told him happily. Ed looked up in surprise. "Normally, we'd put you in a pod but you'd probably be against that for whatever reason-"

"Good guess." Ed said.

"So I'm gonna use this jelly stuff that kinda like absorbs into your arm but in a way that it sort of creates a shield around the injured bone. So if you jolt the arm or whatever, the shield protects the injured part of the bone from the resulting shock. Since you've got a lovely sized gash on top of the fracture –" Lance was once again interrupted but not by Ed.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mustang asked, far too nicely.

"I don't interrupt you when you're delivering a medical diagnosis, do I?" Lance asked, causing Mustang to rear back minutely. "That's what I thought. Questions at the end, thank you." He scolded before turning back to an Edward who slowly turning red in his effort not to laugh at his boss' stunned look. Shiro and Keith were using more interesting techniques to stop their laughter. The Lions – who Mustang still couldn't talk to – weren't holding back their laughter. "Right. Now, since you've got that gash, and it is pretty deep, I'm gonna have to do stitches. Sorry, but it's that or the pod." Lance's words effectively ended Ed's struggles to contain his laughter.

"Dammit. I hate stitches." Ed muttered.

"Sorry, man." Lance certainly sounded apologetic. Ed waved off the apology with a grumble that it wasn't his fault. "So once I've stitched the gash up, I'll apply the shielding jelly then wrap the wound. After that, we'll fix up your shoulder. Sound good?" He asked and Ed nodded, leaning his weight back onto his right arm as Lance bustled off to gather the stuff he needed.

"How come you didn't tell us about the cut?" Keith asked, jolting Ed out of his thoughts.

"Because it wasn't going to be a fatal wound and we were already heading here. I knew it wasn't too bad so there really wasn't a need to bring it up." Ed told him, like it was obvious answer. Keith could respect that. Shiro looked like he wanted to argue but a quick shake of Mustang's head had him holding back.

Lance was back fairly quickly and soon had the gash cleaned out and stitched up, explaining the differences between these stitches and normal one. The stitches would change colour, like the butterfly bandages, if there was a sign of infection or they needed to come out and they were a little more stretchy so they wouldn't be ripped out as easily but still as rigid as normal stitches if there was no outward interference. Once done, the wound and surrounding area was slathered with the shielding jelly and the arm was wrapped. A minute later, Ed had his shoulder back in place and was rolling it to relieve the damaged muscles.

"Thanks, Lance." Ed grinned at him as he jumped off the bed.

"Any time." Lance said, giving him an easy grin. "What are you going to do now?" Lance asked curiously. Ed shrugged.

"Pidge has my tablet so I can't fiddle with that. I'm banned from the training rooms." A venomless glare aimed at the two oldest people in their group. "So, I figured I might go see how Pidge is doing. Yellow said Hunk went and joined up with her once he was done in the kitchens. After that, I'll probably just head to the library." Ed told him.

"Coran should be here any dobashe now. I'll come with you, if you lot are willing to wait around?" Lance asked and received confirmations they would. "Awesome. I'm just gonna do a final check of the remaining patients then." He said as he was already heading for the short, chubby alien resting on the bed. Blue was following him closely while the rest of them were left to their own devices.

* * *

Coran had turned up mere moments after Lance had checked on the final patient and they left the moment after Lance had given Coran his report. The walk to Green's hangar was quick and filled with chatter. Green was the first through the doors of her hangar, though Yellow was a close second, and they bounded over to their Paladins the moment they located them. To the surprise of the rest of the group, Pidge, Hunk and the male Holts were halfway to the door when they entered.

"Oh, good timing, guys." Pidge said, waving Ed's tablet. "I just finished up with Ed's tablet. We were able to get it to run solely on alchemic energy." She grinned, eyes bright and excited as she spoke.

"That's awesome, Pidgie! Great job!" Lance praised gushingly. Pidge's cheeks heated up.

"Thanks, Lance. This means that if we can adapt the technology somehow, we could revolutionise Earth's renewable technology." She said before getting lost in a technical chatter about what that would mean for Earth itself. Hunk drew level with her, plucking the tablet from her hands when she started waving it around a little dangerously and handed it back to Ed.

"Thanks, Hunk." Ed smiled as he took it back. He'd grown rather attached to it in the short time he'd had it. Everyone had already taken so many photos with it and sent him little videos of things and their own personal photos they'd taken on planets they'd already seen. "Thanks for your help with getting it to run on alchemic energy as well." He grinned knowingly.

"Yellow?" Hunk guessed and Ed nodded. Yellow gave Hunk a completely innocent look that no one bought for a minute. "We need that back for a few minutes before you go to bed. Pidge and I came up with a surprise for you and we need the others and your tablet. You won't be allowed to open any new messages until after you've gone back to Amestris." Hunk told him, causing Ed's intrigue to rise rapidly but no amount of badgering Hunk or the Lions resulted in any hints so Ed huffed and agreed to hand it over when they needed it.

"What are we gonna do now?" Ed asked and Hunk shrugged.

"Wanna watch some movies? I can whip up some snacks." He offered and the rest of the group immediately latched onto the idea.

"So, that would be a yes." Ed laughed as they were practically shoved forward by Lance and Pidge. They didn't let up for the whole way to the lounge room they had occupied a few nights ago and Ed was a little surprised to see it still set up from the previous movie night.

They settled into the couches after Shiro used his tablet to send Allura and Coran their location in case either of them needed them for some reason. Ed found himself between Lance and Shiro with Hunk, Pidge, Sam and Matt on Lance's other side, Yellow and Green lounging on the back of the couch or at their feet. Blue was curled up behind Lance and Ed with her head resting on Edwards shoulder and half on Shiro's. Black had snaked herself behind Keith so that her front end was in between Shiro and Keith, head resting in Shiro's lap. Red herself was curled up so she was practically on Keith entirely, with only some of her back end dangling off him and Mustang was crammed up on the end.

* * *

Hunk watched the first movie with them since it was one of his favourites before he extracted himself from Lance and Pidge and headed to the kitchen to procure the promised snacks. He used the trolley to bring in some space hot chocolate and both Edward and Lance looked far more excited than he'd ever seen them. With the snacks and drinks handed out, Hunk settled back into his spot to watch the next movie.

" _I think I still owe you an explanation."_  Blue's voice caused Ed to jump slightly. Lance looked at him but he shook his head so the brunette went back to the movie with a slight shrug.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked telepathically so he wouldn't disturb the others. Keith had left with Ed's tablet a few minutes ago for whatever surprise the Paladins had set up for him but everyone else was fully invested in the movie.

" _I haven't explained the reason for the blood in my array compartment. I hadn't wanted to tell you because the memory still troubles me but I am ready to tell you now. I've never told anyone, not even my sisters, though I imagine they know what happened already."_  Blue explained.

"You don't have to." Ed told her, making sure she knew that she really didn't have to say anything.

" _I know but I want too."_  She assured him. He nodded and she started talking.  _"My original Paladin was an alien by the name of Blaytz. He was a lot like Lance. Fiercely loyal but funny. He always had a cheesy pick-up line or joke at the ready to diffuse any situation and there were times I was worried he might get into trouble because of it but he always managed to charm his way out. He was a wonderful Paladin and Lance is certainly living up to his legacy. Before Zarkon completely turned against Alfor, Blaytz had been good friends with him. All of the Paladins were friends but Blaytz and Zarkon were almost as close as Zarkon and Alfor. We knew there was trouble between Zarkon and Alfor. It was affecting our ability to form Voltron and Yellow, Green and I were urging our pilots to try and help Zarkon and Alfor resolve their differences. Shortly before the fall of Altea, Blaytz was inside the array compartment to clean it out when Zarkon arrived. He wasn't in Black, which put me on alert but I knew Zarkon and Blaytz were close so I didn't expect trouble. Zarkon climbed the ladder Blaytz had used to reach the compartment."_  Ed had a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach as he listened to Blue.  _"He killed my Paladin right there. I felt his life blood everywhere it hit and I roared but I couldn't do anything. Zarkon left and all of my sisters were trying to contact me to find out what happened. After a few varga, I was able to tell them. Red and Alfor arrived and Alfor removed Blaytz's body and I sealed the compartment shut, not wanting anyone else in there. I warned Green and Yellow to keep Zarkon away from their Paladin's but Zarkon got them eventually as well. Alfor tried to coax me into opening the compartment so he could clean up but I didn't let him in. I was sent to Earth while Yellow and Green were sent to separate planets. Alfor lost Red to Zarkon when he hid Black in the Castle and Altea was destroyed. I truly had thought the blood would have decayed long before now."_  Blue told him, the grief and heartache still evident in her voice. Ed wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her close. He didn't offer her any words of comfort but allowed her to feel what he felt through their bond, which was far better than anything he could've said.

Lance could obviously feel Blue's emotions and he looked at her with concern evident on his features. Ed wasn't certain what Blue told him but Lance wrapped an arm around Ed's back so he could also hug Blue. They stayed like that for the remainder of the night, watching the movies being played while Keith came back and Shiro left. The only time they moved was when Shiro came back and Lance took Ed's tablet and left for a few dobashes but he came back and settled back into the hug like he hadn't left. Only a few minutes after Lance came back, Ed fell asleep, Mustang having fallen asleep earlier. As he drifted off, Ed could feel all five Lions in his head, all of them happy and content. He was pretty certain he was smiling as he drifted off, curling into Shiro a little as he did so.

* * *

The next thing Ed knew, he woke up with a jerk, feeling like he'd been falling. His entire surroundings were white and the Gates of Knowledge were looming over him. Mustang was there as well but no one else was. Kicking Mustang as Ed climbed to his feet, he watched as the older man jerked awake and scrambled to his feet. Ed could feel his tablet in his left hand and a look down confirmed it was definitely there.

"What the fuck?" Mustang asked as he got up.

"I'm guessing Truth decided now was as good a time as any to take us home." Ed said dryly.

"You would be correct, little alchemist." Truth's voice sounded from behind them, it's sardonic grin on it's otherwise featureless face. Ed and Mustang both spun to face it. "Ready to go home?" It asked.

"Do we really have a choice?" Ed asked.

"Of course. I could send you back but you may not be able to return for a while. It depends on when I next feel like it." Truth told them. The way it said it though told them that its 'while' could be anywhere between a couple of days to a few years.

"Fine. Let's go home than." Ed sighed. He wished he did get the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone but he had also made peace with the fact that it likely wouldn't have happened anyway.

"You know how this works, little alchemist." Truth told him, pointing to the Gate. "As per your individual agreements, you get one free trip back to your country. You may pass through." Truth said, sounding a little put out that it wouldn't be able to take a payment from them. Ed and Mustang both nodded and stood at the Gates. The doors opened and Ed clutched his tablet closer to his body as the little black hands reached out and pulled them forward, forcing them through the Gate. Ed felt a flash of momentary panic as he passed through, remembering the first time this happened, but they went through with no incidents and the next thing they knew, they were standing in Gracia and Elysia's lounge room, the shattered remains of Gracia's teacup that she had dropped with a shriek when they appeared sitting at her feet, tea spread everywhere, her green eyes wide with shock.

* * *

Lance was jolted awake when Blue suddenly seemed to drop beneath him. As he sat up, rubbing his eyes and glaring at the tv that was still playing whatever movie they had been watching, he looked around. He noted that something was off but he was ashamed of how long it took him to notice exactly what was off. He shook Hunk awake when he did. The yellow Paladin grumbled as he woke up, his shifting about waking Pidge and the two other Holts. Lance's hisses for Hunk to wake up had Shiro and Keith both jolt awake.

"What's the matter?" Hunk slurred slightly as he struggled awake.

"Ed and Mustang are gone." Lance told him. The news woke everyone up very quickly and all of them immediately zeroed in on the spots that had been occupied by the Amestrians.

"Maybe they went to the toilet?" Pidge asked. Her voice suggested it was a hopeful question but that she already knew the answer.

" _Edward is no longer on the ship. I'm assuming he is either with Truth or is home now. I presume Mustang is with him."_  Blue told him and Lance's face fell. From the way the others reacted and Pidge's whispers to her father and brother, their Lions told them something similar.

"We knew it was a possibility they would leave like this. That's why we set up the surprise on Ed's tablet. We can't do anything to change it. Let's get some more sleep before the morning alarm sounds. We can deal with everything tomorrow." Shiro suggested, voice a little sad but he gave them all a comforting smile. There wasn't much more said as they did as he suggested. All of the Paladins and Lions fell asleep thinking of the two alchemists. All of the Lions had a smirk on their faces as they fell asleep. There was one thing they had neglected to inform their Paladins and an unspoken agreement was made that they would simply tell them in the morning. They would be very happy with the news.

* * *

When they all woke again, it was reaffirmed that the two Amestrians had vanished in the middle of the night. A search of the couches had led to Ed's tablet not being found so they assumed he'd managed to take it with him, something they were very relieved and very happy about since they'd each left a file on it for him to watch. They left the lounge room in a slightly saddened state and went to get prepared for the day, having not actually showered the night before.

Hunk and Yellow headed to the kitchens after his shower so he could get some sort of breakfast put together when he remembered it was no longer just them aboard the ship. He diverted to the common room and inquired after the aliens and who wanted food so he could get it prepared. After being thanked numerous times, he managed to extract himself from the room and head back to his kitchen.

After twenty dobashes had passed, almost everyone was in the kitchen and Hunk had sent those in the kitchen out to the common room with the cart to hand out breakfast to the aliens. Coran had come in just as they left and confirmed all aliens were released from the medbay so he didn't have to prepare any goo for them. Allura walked in a few moments after Coran and Hunk finished their conversation and helped carry their breakfast foods to the dining room for the others.

It wasn't until everyone had settled at the table, Sam and Matt flanking Pidge, that Allura and Coran noticed that two of their little group was missing.

"Should we wait for Edward and Brigadier-General Mustang?" Allura asked when everyone reached to grab some food.

"No. Truth took them back to Amestris last night." Hunk told them and the mood fell a little.

"Did Ed manage to take his tablet?" Allura asked, thinking of the surprise the Paladins had come up with for them. She had been happy when Keith had approached her and Coran last night and explained the idea. There had been no hesitancy to be near her that she had detected from the red Paladin and she was surprised to feel relief. She hadn't even realised she had been worried about their future interactions until that moment.

"We're pretty certain he did. We couldn't find it in the movie room, in any case." Pidge told her. Allura sighed a little.

"Well, I certainly hope he did take it. I'm a little upset we didn't get to say a proper goodbye to both of them, however." Allura said, a touch sadly. Black and the other Lions looked at each before nodding. They couldn't stand this morose atmosphere anymore so they decided to spill their secret.

" _He has his tablet."_  They all told their Paladins at the same time.

"How do you know?" Lance was the first to ask while Shiro told Allura and Coran what the Lions had said.

" _Our bond with Edward is still intact. It's not as intense as it would be if he were still in this dimension but we can still talk to him and we'll know whether he's hurt or upset."_  Blue told Lance while her sisters told their pilot something similar. All of them did a remarkable impression of a fish and the Lions were rather bemused while the Alteans were simply confused.

"Pardon me, Paladins, but why do you look so shocked?" Allura asked politely, though it was clear in the way she held herself that she was a touch annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"The Lions are still connected to Ed." Lance said in surprise and amazement. "They can still talk to him and feel him." His stunned expression was mirrored on Allura's face.

"That's incredible. I thought your connections with him would have been cut from the distance, at the very least." Allura sounded impressed and her mind was already racing with the possibilities it could mean for her Paladins bond with their own Lions. While Ed's bonds with the Lions were strong, it wasn't stronger than the bonds each Paladin had with their own Lion and their bond would only grow stronger. If Ed's bonds with them were strong enough that the Lions could all sense him in another dimension, she couldn't wait to see what would be revealed as the Paladins and their Lion continued strengthening their bonds.

"Black says she thinks it has something to do with the fact that Ed used his own alchemic energy to help them transform the first time." Shiro's voice broke Allura out of her thoughts.

"It is possible, I suppose. Even if I was more of an expert in alchemy, I doubt I would be able to confirm either way though. There is a lot about the alchemy that helped create the Lions that I do not understand and I doubt I ever will." Allura admitted. While Ed hadn't had the time to teach her and Allura herself had been too busy to seek out lessons, they had managed to find a few vargas where Ed had used her library's alchemic texts to try and help her better her alchemy. While he hadn't been able to teach her much, he had been able to give her some pointers and advice to help her. His main one had been asking the Lions – specifically, Red – for their help. She resolved to do so once they had a bit more time on their hands.

"Well, I, for one, am going to miss having them around here. Though I am glad to hear that we will still get to hear how they are going." Coran said as optimistically as ever from where he sat. "Now, I do believe we should be discussing our future plans for the freed prisoners and remaining Galran." Coran pointed out after allowing everyone a few moments to process the fact that the Lions were still able to contact Edward. "I took the liberty last night after my last patient was well enough to join the other aliens to move the Castle-Ship closer to the planets who had reached out for help. The remaining Galran ships seem to have finished their in-fighting and I put together an announcement to inform everyone of Zarkon and Haggar's deaths, to be released at your leisure, Princess." Coran told them. Everyone had immediately gone into professional mode as Coran started talking.

"Thank you, Coran. Release the announcement as soon as you can, please. Make sure you request that those who receive the news spread it as far as they can so that no planet in this universe remains ignorant about their deaths." Allura ordered and the orange-haired alien nodded his agreement, tinkering with his tablet. "Shiro, you and the Brigadier-General spent yesterday gathering information from our guests, correct?" She asked and Shiro nodded.

"Yes. The only ones we have left to ask are those who were in the medical bay at the time." Shiro told her.

"Excellent. Gather the last bits of details as soon as you can, please." She asked before her forehead creased slightly in thought. "At this time, I believe our best course of action would be to map out the home planets of the freed aliens. We need to contact everyone we can to see if their planet still stands or if their species has been forced to flee to avoid the same fate as their planet. If the latter has happened, we will need to figure out where their species has fled to and map those planets as well. Once we have a completed map, we can work on travelling to each one in a way that allows us to get closer to Earth. As we return the freed aliens home, we will need to keep an eye out for any Galran trying to continue in Zarkon's footsteps or any other Galran prisons and take of them. I am hoping that we won't have to double back to any planets we have already visited because at that time, I am hoping we have enough allies that we can entrust a freed prisoner with them and they'll take them home. Worst case scenario, one of you will have to take them back in your Lion and I will wormhole you as close as possible before opening a wormhole for you to return through." She took a breath as she tried to figure out any other potential problems they may encounter. "Any planets under Galran control will have to be liberated as well. Once we have dropped the last freed prisoner off to their family, we will head straight for Earth, so long as nothing happens along the way that we would have to deal with." Most of the Paladins' faces lit up with excitement and Allura felt a heavy mix of happiness and guilt at them being able to go home after so long away.

"Thank you, Allura." Lance said after a few moments of cheering with Hunk, Pidge and – to a less enthusiastic extent – Sam and Matt. Both Pidge and Hunk followed his lead and chirped out thank you's as well.

"There is no need to thank me, Paladins. If not for you, we would not be able to think about heading to your home world this soon. It is I who should thank you. So, thank you. I cannot wait to see your home planet, experience your culture and meet your loved ones." Allura smiled beautifully at them.

"As am I. I can't wait to see Lance's beach he's so fond of or experience your Earth's version of rain. It certainly sounds far more enjoyable than Altea's rain!" Coran exclaimed, causing the Paladins to laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Once we have all of the pertinent data, we can start plotting our course." Allura said once the laughter had died down. "I would like Keith and Lance to stand by with their Lions, however. I will be reaching out to Planet Haveria to see if they and the Bronthiods would like our assistance with liberating Planet Bronth from the Galran forces still there. If so, I would appreciate the two of you heading down to help. The other three Paladins will remain here as back up, should the two of you require it." Allura stated.

"Sure thing, Allura." Lance said, still happy from the high of knowing they would be heading home soon. Keith just nodded his agreement.

"Thank you. I shall go talk to the Haverians and Bronthiods now and let you know what they say. Coran, if you could come with me and release the information on Zarkon and Haggar's death with the amendment I asked for then assist me with reaching out to Planet Haveria?" She asked and Coran got to his feet, waiting politely for Allura to leave first. "Shiro, would you mind gathering the last of the aliens personal data? You can take Pidge or Hunk to help you, if you wish." Shiro nodded his okay and got to his own feet.

Everyone else was quick to follow their lead and those who hadn't been asked to do anything spent a few minutes clearing the table and helping Hunk wash up the breakfast dishes. All of the Paladins were lost in thoughts about heading home and wondering how Edward and Mustang were going. The Lions had simply kept quiet while everyone split up to work but they all started a betting pool on whose Paladin would be the first to remember the Lions could still talk to Edward and demand updates and ask to talk to the blonde through them. Lance was the Paladin everyone agreed would be the first to ask after Edward. Blue figure it would take her cub three varga at the most. Red said it would take Lance 20 dobashes or less. Black had given the Blue Paladin until the first mention on the blonde's name to ask Blue to give him an update.

* * *

The one thing all of the Lions had been waiting patiently for was Edward to figure out they were still connected. They could feel his shock but that was at finding himself in the lounge room of the house he lived in. Then they felt his elation at being hugged and they could feel the love he was swamped in as he hugged the woman back. Then they felt his worry when he couldn't see his brother or their adopted little sister anywhere. They listened as he was told they would be back any minute from the park his brother had taken their little sister to. The woman had moved to go make cups of coffee but Mustang had blocked her path, offering to make them for her before asking Ed if he wanted one. The Lions had felt amusement at his assumption that Ed would want coffee. If there was one thing the blonde would attack someone for, it would be coffee. They felt the moment that Ed realised they were still there and it was like he mentally held his breath as he cautiously asked.

"Can all of you still hear me?" Ed asked mentally.

" _Yes. We're all still connected to you."_  Black took the lead and answered for them. Edward's joy flooded their bond with the blonde as he told Mustang he could still hear them.

"I'm really glad you're still there." Ed told them after he and Mustang had finished their quick chat about this new information.

" _We're very happy that we can still talk to you, as well. We would've missed your talks with us."_  Yellow was the one to talk this time and they all grinned when they felt Ed's flush through their bond. They were all happy about their bond still being intact and the Lions felt relief that Ed wasn't upset by it. They ceased talking for the moment so that Ed wasn't distracted by them when Gracia was talking. They were just happy to be able to stay connected with Ed and they basked in the peacefulness that Ed felt while they could.


	21. Chapter 21

"Brother?" Al watched in amusement as Ed's eye twitched while he continued reading, indicating he had heard something but obviously hadn't processed what he'd heard. "Brother?" Al tried again and this time he got more of a response.

"Hmm?" Ed asked, still not looking up from his book. Al waited a couple of seconds and was rewarded with Ed jolting slightly before looking at him in confusion. "Did you say something, Al?" He asked, causing Alphonse to giggle, much to the irritation of his brother.

"Only been trying for the last minute, brother." Al told him in between giggles. Ed's annoyed expression turned sheepish.

"Sorry, Al. What's up?" He asked, putting his book face down so he could give Al his full attention.

"I was wondering if you knew whether Miss Gracia had the stuff for sandwiches or if we would have to go to the shops for lunch? I know she said she was going grocery shopping tomorrow or the day after." Al asked, moving to his knees but Ed beat him up.

"I think there might still be some ham and cheese. Do you want one or two sandwiches?" Ed asked, already heading for the kitchen.

"I can make it myself, you know, Ed?" Al asked, though he didn't make any move to do so. His elder brother would only send him back to the lounge room.

"I know but I want something to eat as well and I don't know what." Ed called back from the kitchen, causing Al to roll his eyes.

"I'll have two sandwiches please." Al told him before he asked again. He heard a noise of confirmation and the sound of Ed pulling things out of the fridge before there was a loud crash in the kitchen.

When Al didn't immediately hear Ed cussing, Al got up to check, afraid his brother had somehow managed to knock himself out. Instead, he found several things lying on the floor and the fridge door wide open. Despite not hearing signs of distress or a struggle, Al still tore through the entire house, calling for Edward but receiving no answer. He quickly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and shut the fridge and was halfway to the front door when he remembered Gracia would be home shortly and would likely be concerned if neither of them was here. He headed back to the lounge room and wrote a quick note, left it on the coffee table and headed for Central Command as quickly as he could.

The guards on the gate waved him through immediately, knowing him from the amount times he's accompanied his brother, and he called his thanks over his shoulder as he raced for the Brigadier-General's offices. He only slowed when he was close to it so he didn't accidentally run into anyone in the corridors but he didn't bother knocking on the door before he entered. His sudden appearance startled everyone, including Mustang who had been handing over completed paperwork, and they all were staring at him, Hawkeye's hand resting on her holstered weapon.

"Ed's missing." He told them.

* * *

"Explain what happened to me one more time, Alphonse." Mustang requested, leaning back in his chair with Hawkeye standing on his right.

After his announcement, Mustang had moved himself, Alphonse and Hawkeye into his inner office with orders for the others to keep an ear out for any sign of Edward. Havoc had orders to put hospitals on alert, just in case the blonde turned up unconscious and with no identification on him.

"I don't know what happened. Edward had gone into the kitchen to get lunch. I was in the lounge room where we had been reading. Miss Gracia was at work and Elysia was at school. Ed asked how many sandwiches I wanted. I answered, he made a noise to tell me he heard. I could hear him getting stuff out of the fridge then the next thing I know, there's a crash in the kitchen. I couldn't hear Ed swearing like he would've so I went to look. The stuff he'd grabbed from the fridge was on the ground and the fridge was still open. He wasn't anywhere in the house. I cleaned up, wrote Miss Gracia a note and headed here." Alphonse explained again. He didn't try too hard to hide the annoyance he felt at having to say this story for the third time. Mustang gave him an understanding look.

"If I had to hazard a guess, it sounds like Truth has taken him somewhere. I doubt he would've left without telling you and we all know no one can kidnap him without him fighting back and you would've heard the sounds of a struggle or someone dragging him out of the house. That's not mentioning the fact that they couldn't have gotten him out of the house – conscious or not – without you seeing them, not with how quickly you went to investigate the noise." Mustang rationalised. "The only thing left is Truth. We all know how it can take someone in the time it takes to blink. If I'm right, Fullmetal will make a deal with it, if he agrees to do what it wants, and either you or I will get a visit from Truth tonight." Mustang sighed.

"What happens in the meantime?" Al asked, his concern for his brother bleeding through in his voice. Mustang looked at him with sympathy.

"Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. Head back to Gracia's and wait there. Come back in the morning and we'll find out whether either of us heard from Truth." Mustang told him. "The team will keep investigating as though he'd been kidnapped until we get confirmation either way." Mustang told him. Al wasn't happy about it but he knew Mustang was right. They couldn't do anything until they knew what actually happened. He thanked Mustang and Hawkeye before heading out, saying goodbye to the team members still in the office and thanked them when they offered words of comfort and assurances that Ed would be alright.

* * *

His walk back to Gracia's was a lot more sedate than his race for Central Command. Worry for his brother churned in his gut but he managed to get back to the house before Gracia or Elysia. He removed the note he'd written hastily, threw it in the bin and cleaned up the kitchen a bit better. He went back to the lounge room and picked up his and Ed's books, marking Ed's page, before carting them all up into their room and placing them in their spots. He went back downstairs and waited in the lounge room for Gracia and Elysia to come home. He didn't have to wait long.

"Good afternoon, Alphonse. How was your day?" Gracia greeted as she walked through the door. Elysia could be heard behind her. "Where's your brother?" Gracia asked when she didn't immediately spot the older Elric in the vicinity. No one had missed the fact that the brothers were inseparable now that Alphonse had been cleared to join Edward on missions. Of course, that was after the disaster that had been their first mission together after Alphonse's clearance.

"He's not here." Al said, voice careful as Elysia came into view. Gracia immediately understood.

"Where is he?" Elysia asked as she joined him on the couch.

"Elysia, what do you do after school?" Gracia asked, keeping her voice light so as to not let Elysia pick up on her worry.

"Go and change out of my uniform and unpack my lunch bag." Elysia dutifully quoted, grumbling as she did so. "But, Mama, I want to know where big brother Ed is." She whined when her mother pointed towards her room and raised a brow.

"You can ask after you've done your after-school routine. Now, go." Gracia ordered. Elysia whinged but she didn't get anywhere and ended up stomping up to her room. When they heard her door open, Gracia turned to Alphonse. "What happened?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the closest couch, placing her work bag next to her.

"He disappeared. He was in the kitchen, we were talking then I heard something hit the ground. I didn't here his normal response to that so I went to check and he was gone. I went to Central Command to tell Mustang and try to figure out what happened." Al explained quickly. "Mustang thinks Truth took him for some reason. No one could've kidnapped him or coerced him out of the house without me seeing or hearing something and he never would've left without telling me where he was going unless he never got the chance to. Truth is the only option we can think of that could've happened so quickly and quietly." Alphonse told her with a sigh.

"Your brother can't just be kidnapped by a normal human? He just had to go and get kidnapped and sent to another dimension again." Gracia muttered. She swore she was getting grey hairs from having these two boys under her roof. She loved them like they were her own and she wouldn't have them any other way but sometimes she missed not having to worry about them every time they were out of her sight. Al let out a small, tired huff of laughter.

"Brother just has to be different." He laughed quietly before he and Gracia shared a small smile. They say silently for a moment longer before they heard Elysia running down the stairs and head into the kitchen. Gracia and Al shared a look that Al jutted his chin at her slightly while Elysia unpacked her lunch box at super speed and burst back into the lounge room to stand in the middle of the two adults and look at them with a small glare on her face. If Al wasn't so worried about Ed, he might've cooed at her.

"Where's big brother Ed?" Elysia demanded, looking between both of them.

"Alphonse was just telling me all about it, honey." Gracia said, effectively drawing the little girl's attention to her. "Uncle Roy has sent Edward on a super-secret solo mission. He had to leave right away but he did give Al a message to give to you." Gracia told her and Elysia turned to Al expectantly.

"Ed wanted me to tell you that he'll be back as soon as he can and he wants to hear all about your adventures at school when he gets back. He doesn't know how long he's gonna be gone but he did say he hopes you continue being good for your mama while he's gone and he hopes he'll be home soon." Al dutifully lied. Gracia looked happy with while Elysia put on a big sigh.

"Did he go back to the place he went after big brother Al was allowed to go on missions with him? Is Uncle Roy going with him? Will he be okay? Will he bring us more gifts?" Elysia asked, with all the enthusiasm of a five-and-a-half-year-old.

"We don't know. I think so but until he gets back, we won't know where he went. I don't think Uncle Roy will be going with him this time. Your big brother can look after himself just fine and I don't know if he'll have the chance to get us presents but you know that if he does, he will." Gracia was kind enough to answer all of her questions. "I imagine you will be going back to Central Command in the morning to see if Edward arrived safely?" Gracia asked, faux casually.

"Yes. Brigadier-General Mustang said that Brother would likely check in and leave a message during the night with one of the secretaries. He invited me back in the morning so I can hear the message for myself." Alphonse told her and she nodded.

"Can I go, please?" Elysia asked but Gracia immediately vetoed that.

"You have school, sweetie." She reminded the little girl. "Tomorrow you have art, remember? You were really excited to show your teacher your finished drawing." She told her quickly when it looked like Elysia would protest.

"Oh, yeah. Then I can bring it home and show you!" Elysia said excitedly. "'sides, big brother Al will tell me big brother Ed is okay, right?" She asked and Al nodded immediately.

"Of course I will, El." He assured her with a big smile. The young girl was happy with that and now that she knew where Ed was and that she would be told what he said in the morning, she launched into all of her stories about what happened at school that day. Gracia and Alphonse shared a relieved look that she was taking this so well considering she still had days where she didn't understand why she didn't have her dad anymore. Gracia and Al had gotten lucky that Ed hadn't heard any of those questions yet. Neither of them was blind to the fact that Ed still blamed himself for Hughes' death, despite Gracia's assurances.

Gracia hadn't told either boy that Elysia had asked her a couple of times whether Ed and Al were going where her daddy was whenever Gracia got word they had been assigned a new mission and told Elysia. While both boys lived under her roof more often than not, they still had rooms assigned at the dorms on the base and if they were too tired after a mission to walk all the way from the station to Gracia's, they would sleep at the dorms since they were closer. Elysia had started believing that every time the boys' were on a mission, it might end with them joining her father since Gracia had told her that her dad had passed away while on a mission. It broke her heart every time that happened. She risked a glance at Alphonse but he was busy listening to Elysia with a soft, indulgent smile on his face. You would have never known that he was worried sick about his brother from the way he was watching Elysia. Gracia turned her attention back to her daughter's amazing storytelling after sending a small prayer to whoever was listening that Edward would be alright.

* * *

Alphonse had forced himself to go to sleep last night. If Truth was ever likely to talk to him, it would be while he was sleeping so it wouldn't have to take all of him into its dimension, it would just have to get into his head, a feat made easier by the person being asleep. However, he woke up having not been sent to Truth's dimension so he hoped that meant that Mustang had gotten the visit. He hated himself for it but he had hoped Truth wouldn't chose him to visit. He had had enough of Truth's dimension while his body was in there for all of those years.

He was up before Elysia was. Gone were the days she had woken up early every day so she could run down to the lounge room if Ed, Al or Mustang were camping on the couch or running into her parents room to jump on them. Now she got up early on weekends or special days only.

Gracia was already in the kitchen and had apparently heard him wake up because there was a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him at the table while the cereal he normally had, along with the milk, a bowl and a spoon, were waiting next to the coffee. He sculled a third of the piping hot coffee before he voiced his first words of the morning.

"Thank you, Miss Gracia." He said, voice still sleepy but he managed to get the cereal and milk into the bowl with no spills so he counted that as a win.

"You're welcome, Alphonse." Gracia said with a cheery smile. One of the many things Al and Ed agreed on was that they were jealous of how put together Gracia always seemed, no matter the time of day or night.

They lightly chattered about Gracia's plans for the day since they both already knew Al's only plan was to go to Central Command and wait for Mustang to tell him if Truth had contacted him the previous night. It had only been 18 hours since Ed's disappearance. Surely Truth had contacted Mustang by now. A glance at the clock told Alphonse it was 6:30am. Mustang was supposed to be in the office by 7:30am now he was made Brigadier-General, something Al suspected he would've actually shed a tear over if he and his brother hadn't been in the room when Hawkeye had told him before leaving the room promptly. Ed had been particularly gleeful with how upset the news had made Mustang and had made a point of bringing it when he and Al had left, telling Mustang they wouldn't want to keep him any longer since he would be having an earlier start. Al had pushed his brother out of the door when he saw Mustang reaching for his glove while Ed cackled.

Alphonse decided he wouldn't leave for a little while longer. It only took twenty minutes to walk to Central Command when the roads and footpaths weren't too busy. At the time he wanted to arrive, he would need to allow an extra 15 minutes so he would make it to Mustang's office at the time he wanted too. So he would leave just before 7am which would mean he would miss Elysia waking up but he knew the little girl would understand when her mum reminded her where he had gone.

He finished his cereal and coffee and went back upstairs to change out of his sleep clothes into his normal brown slacks and clean, white shirt over a white singlet. He grabbed his brown jacket and donned his boots. They were similar to Edwards but less heavy since he didn't have an automail leg to worry about wearing through it. The thought of Ed's automail still made feelings of guilt bubble up in him. The plan, after Ed had recovered from his port surgery, was for them to find a way to fix both of their bodies. Al would get his body back and Edward would get his limbs returned.

It hadn't been long after he had woken from his coma and could stay awake for longer than short periods at a time when he had time to let everything just sink in. Everything they had gone through, everything they had accomplished and everything they had suffered. Every person they had met, helped and lost ran through his mind and he finally let himself think about Promised Day. Being forced through his own Gate. Facing Father. That horrible feeling when they'd learnt every single person inside the circle had been killed before his and Ed's father's counter-array had kicked in and reversed Father's transmutation. The details after that were spotty. Ed and the doctor's agree that it was probably a combination of the trauma of the fight, sacrificing himself and finding himself alive after his brother rescued, not to mention having his memories from the times his body tried to reclaim his soul fighting for their place in his mind, that caused his recall of the fight from that point to be imperfect. One thing he did remember was crying painfully when Ed told him he still had his automail.

Al had sobbed that the plan was to get Ed his body back as well. Ed had smiled and told his plan had been getting Al his body back. His limbs would've been a bonus but he wasn't upset he still had his automail. He'd joked and said it was probably a good thing since he was so used to just using his arm to block blows and his leg to kick things when he was made. Having both limbs flesh again would mean he'd have an even thicker medical file than what he had now. Al had laughed wetly and they hadn't brought up the subject again but from time to time, Al still felt guilty he hadn't been able to give Ed his body back like his brother had done for him.

With a sigh, Al put on his jacket as he headed back downstairs. Like he'd thought, Elysia was still in bed, snoozing happily away as he passed her room. Gracia was still in the kitchen, preparing Elysia and hers lunches for the day. Al glanced at the clock and realised he'd sat in his room longer than thought and that he needed to leave now. He and Gracia exchanged a quick goodbye and he headed out of the door and towards Central Command at a much more sedate pace than he had yesterday.

* * *

He waved to the guards at the gates as they let him through and he headed up the familiar route to Mustang's office. He passed some soldiers who he and Ed knew well enough to say hello too and exchanged greetings. The soldiers he didn't know, he simply offered a warm smile and friendly nod in their direction. Finally, the doors to Mustang's outer office came into view and he was happy to find them unlocked. As he'd thought, Miss Riza would be in the office well before her boss.

"Good morning, Alphonse. How are you?" Hawkeye asked as she spotted the youngest Elric. Havoc, Breda and Falman were the only ones missing, aside from their boss, and Al greeted both Hawkeye and Fuery before answering Hawkeye's question.

"I'm okay, Miss Riza. Just worried for Edward." Al told her honestly. Fuery and Hawkeye gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I imagine so. I assume from your words that Truth didn't visit you last night?" Hawkeye asked and Al shook his head as he sat in one of the spare chairs at their desks. "Hopefully, that means the Brigadier-General was the one visited then. He should be in shortly so we'll find out then." Hawkeye said with a glance at the clock, affirming that Mustang did indeed only have five minutes to get into the office. After that, he would be late and Hawkeye would not be happy.

Alphonse struck up with a conversation with Fuery while Hawkeye sorted out the day's paperwork for her boss to fill out and sign, placing each pile on his desk before sorting out the next pile and repeating. 8:00am rolled around and Fuery made a joke about Mustang having a lie in and that Hawkeye would make him pay by having to finish a pile of paperwork as tall as he was before the end of the day. Breda and Havoc had arrived by then, claiming to have been out checking on leads that never panned out. Hawkeye nodded to acknowledge their presence and reason before indicating they should get to work. Falman was the next to walk in at 8:15am with the same claim as the last two. Hawkeye had the same response.

They could all see her getting more frustrated with every tick of the clock that passed without Mustang turning up. She finished sorting out the paperwork in front of her before grabbing the phone and dialing a number. It rang and rang before a click could be heard and a garbled voice sounded. The tick of Hawkeye's eyebrow told them it was just the answering machine. She left a short, sharp, polite yet pointed message before hanging up. That was at 8:30am.

By 8:45am, Al could sense the atmosphere in the room turn from amusement at imagining the dressing down Mustang would get for being so late to worry about why he was so late. Since becoming Brigadier-General, Mustang had been far better about coming in to the office on time. He'd never been late without a very good reason and he'd only been late that once. Hawkeye called his home again then five minutes later when he didn't pick up once more. After he didn't pick up the third time, Falman and Havoc were sent to his house to find out exactly what was keeping him. They left immediately while everyone else waited for them to return. Hawkeye didn't let them slack off their work and Alphonse was content to wait quietly.

* * *

An hour later, Falman and Havoc returned but with no Mustang with them. Everyone listened as they reported to Hawkeye. They'd arrived at Mustang's house and found nothing out of place. Mustang's car was in the driveway and his door had been locked. They used the spare key each team member had to enter the house after their knocks and calls had gone unanswered. The house was quiet and they couldn't see anything out of place. They reported that had searched the entire house and the only thing of note was that Mustang's uniform from the day before was missing and that his bed looked laid in but not slept in. They'd surmised that Mustang had simply laid down on his bed after work since it had been a late night and managed to fall asleep before getting out of his uniform.

Most important in their report was the fact that nothing indicated a struggle. There wasn't anything to indicate he'd left in a rush or been dragged out. All windows and doors had been locked and intact when the two men had arrived and they couldn't find any sort of note that would tell them if he'd had to go somewhere but wasn't in a rush to do so. From what they could see, it simply looked like Mustang had gotten home, locked his door, headed up to his room, laid down for a rest and vanished.

"Either Truth had taken him and Edward both or there's something worse going on here." Hawkeye sighed and Al felt bad for her. The last two times Ed and Mustang had vanished, Grumman had been able to provide a cover story that they were working a case and had to stay completely off grid, with no communication between them and anyone else until they got back to Central. He knew there were murmurs around the base about how it seemed strange that Mustang and Ed would be sent on two missions so highly classified and secret that only the two alchemists and Grumman knew the details so close together. People were willing to buy it though since Moore and Harding were so close that it seemed likely that if one brother went off the deep end so spectacularly, the other would follow suit. But Al knew what Hawkeye was thinking. People really would start questioning another highly classified mission undertaken by Ed and Mustang, especially since it had barely been a month since they last went missing. Three missions that were that classified were rare in the military, especially now Grumman was in charge. Three missions that classified, all within the space 7 months and taken on by the two same alchemists who were notorious for hating each other would definitely raise questions that no one would be able to answer.

"If they were both taken, Truth will tell me. I doubt Mustang would've accepted Truth's offer without making a deal that included Truth telling me where he and Ed were. Not after yesterday." Alphonse told them and Hawkeye nodded in agreement.

"I agree. Truth will likely pay you a visit the next time you fall asleep." She said before standing up. "This office will keep running normally in the meantime. I will go speak with the Fuhrer and see if we can't come up with a cover story to tell anyone who inquires after the Brigadier-General. Alphonse, I suggest you come up with a cover story for Edward, just in case. Maybe automail repairs or an illness." Hawkeye suggested and Al nodded.

"I'll let you know what I come up with when I come in after I heard from Truth." Al told her, sighing as he stood up. "Hopefully I'll see all of you tomorrow." He said as he waved goodbye to everyone except Hawkeye, who had decided to follow him out of the office.

"I'll go speak with the Fuhrer now. Take care of yourself, Alphonse. If you don't hear anything tonight, please call the office in the morning to let us know you're okay." She requested and Al nodded. He could do that. They said their goodbyes and separated before heading off to their intended destination.

Al hoped Elysia wouldn't question him too much when she got home. He already wasn't sure whether he should tell her about Mustang. He decided as he passed through the front gates and waved goodbye to the guards stationed out front that he would talk with Gracia first and leave it up to her to tell her daughter what she thought she should know.

* * *

Al had gone to bed shortly after Gracia had. He wasn't sure he would be able to fall asleep easily but he managed to somehow. Elysia had been told about Mustang leaving to join Edward and she had been upset that he hadn't come to say goodbye to her first but she had accepted the same story they had told her last time. Gracia had asked her what her teacher had thought of her artwork, a distraction tactic that proved immensely successful. Al kept the plan to head back into the office in the morning to himself until after Elysia went to bed. It hadn't been much longer after he had told Gracia the plan to go back to Mustang's office in the morning that they had headed to bed. Alphonse had needed a shower first before doing so and by the time he had gotten out, Gracia was already in her room. He settled into his own bed and looked over at the rumpled sheets on his brother's empty bed and fell asleep hoping that Ed and Mustang were okay.

* * *

" _Hello, young Alphonse." Al opened his eyes at the sound of the human-but-not-human voice that whispered into his ear. He scrambled back when he looked over and was greeted by Truth squatting right next to him, peering at him with its featureless face and massive grin mere inches from Al's own face._

" _Truth." Al's voice shook as he got to his feet while Truth remained in its crouching position._

" _Looks like the time out of my dimension has done your body some good. I suppose having your soul in your own body might have helped with that." Truth said, grin only widening slightly as it spoke. "I suppose you already know why you're here?" Truth said when Al didn't say anything._

" _My brother and Brigadier-General Mustang. What have you done with them?" Al asked, voice steadying slightly now that he was over his shock at seeing Truth._

" _Hmm, what makes you think I did anything to them? Your brother does have the unnatural tendency to find trouble everywhere he goes." Truth pointed out, a smirk on its face as Al scowled at him._

" _We know you took them both. Nothing else explains how quickly they vanished with as little evidence left behind." Al stated clearly and confidently._

" _That is true." Truth giggled a little and Al barely held back his flinch at the unnatural sound. "I did take only Edward at first. I needed him to do a little task for me in another dimension. He wasn't very happy at first but we've since come to an agreement and he will be helping those I sent him too." Truth told him. There were a few beats of silence and Al internally rolled his eyes._

" _And Mustang?" Al asked, barely repressing a sigh of annoyance. Truth noticed, if the way its smile widened even more was any indication._

" _Well, I had only intended to bring Mustang here to inform him of his subordinates whereabouts but he did make a very compelling argument about being sent to help young Edward. We also struck a deal and I'm fulfilling it now by telling you that they are still alive. Well, they were when I last checked on them." Truth told him, sounding a little too cheery at the thought that they might not still be. Even though it had no visible eyes, Al could feel them boring into him before Truth clapped its hands. "I have upheld part of the bargain I struck with both of them. Goodbye, young Alphonse." Truth's mad grin shone as Al was dragged through the Gates standing behind him._

* * *

Al woke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed as he tried to calm his frantically beating heart back down to a normal level. His breathing had been slightly ragged but he managed to get it under control fairly quickly thanks to Teacher's training. A glance out of his drawn curtains showed that it was definitely passed dawn and a look at his alarm clock confirmed that he'd woken only a little later than normal. Heaving himself out of bed, he headed downstairs and was greeted by the same thing he had been the previous morning.

"Thank you, Miss Gracia." Al said after he'd sat down and gulped down most of his coffee. Gracia gave him a gentle smile and joined him at the table as he poured himself some cereal.

"It's no problem, Alphonse." She told him. "Did Truth visit you last night?" She asked, worry for two of her favourite people obvious in her voice. Al nodded since he had just scooped some cereal into his mouth. Gracia waited patiently as he chewed and swallowed before he gave her a verbal response.

"Yes. It confirmed that it took Ed. It needed him to help someone in another dimension. It didn't say what Ed would be helping with or for how long or even where but it did say he was safe. Mustang asked to be sent to help Ed, apparently. Truth said it only took Mustang to tell him where Ed was but Mustang struck a deal with it and he's wherever Ed is." Al told her and Gracia shook her head.

"Of course Roy would have himself sent to another dimension to make sure Edward is okay and to help him." She said with a slight chuckle. Her hands tightened slightly around her tea cup, the only indication of how worried she really was. Alphonse admired her strength and capability of maintaining such a calm outward appearance. "So you'll be heading to Central Command?" She asked, taking a fortifying sip of tea.

"Yes. I did promise I'd either visit or call, depending on whether Truth visited me. Since it did, I'm heading in today." Al told her and she nodded. "I'll stop by the bank on the way back and get you our share of the grocery money as well." He told her, remembering she did have plans to go to the shops either today or tomorrow sometime.

"Thank you, Alphonse. If you can come by the office today, I'll do the shopping this afternoon since I have a half day today." She told him and he nodded.

"I'll make sure I come by." He tells her before looking at the clock. It's later than he expected and he can hear noises coming from Elysia's room that told the both of them she was up. Al headed up to his room, passing the sleepy five-year-old on the way and receiving a quick hug before she headed downstairs for breakfast. The promise of food was a far better motivator than anything else for both Elysia and Edward.

Al was quick to get changed and was going to head out but Elysia begged him to be the one to drop her off at school. Since it would only be an extra half an hour to wait and her school was only slightly out of his way, Al agreed. Gracia smiled as Elysia cheered before reminding she still needed to get ready to go because Alphonse had places to be and couldn't afford to be held up longer than he already had. She nodded and began eating as quickly as she could. Gracia and Al had laughed and assured her she could still take her time eating rather than give herself a tummy ache.

* * *

The walk to the school had gone by quickly, despite the extra ten minutes it took for Al to drop her off and get back on track to Central Command. Elysia had alternated between making observations of their surroundings and asking Alphonse as many questions as she could in the space of time they had. Question about where Ed and Mustang had gone, questions about whether Al was going to join them, questions about random things she could see and think of before they got to the school gates and she gave him a tight hug before running onto the grounds to join the friends she had spotted.

Al had waited for a moment and waved when she turned back to look at him before he left and headed for Central Command. The walk was quiet and uneventful. Some people he and Ed had met for various reasons nodded and said hello, a greeting he returned, before they continued on their own way. As he'd done yesterday, Al greeted the guards before being allowed into Central Command and headed straight for Mustang's offices.

"Alphonse. Good morning." Hawkeye greeted as he entered the outer office, relief tinging her voice. Everyone else was present and all of them were watching him intently.

"Truth took them. It confirmed it last night." Al told them the moment the door was shut. Despite being the only theory they had that made sense, the relief that knowing where the two missing team members were was evident in the way every single person seemed to have some kind of weight lifted off of their shoulders.

"Did Truth say anything else?" Hawkeye asked as she straightened up in her chair.

"Yeah. It went out of it's way to tell me that it had only wanted Brother over there. Mustang had asked to be sent to join Edward and Truth agreed, for whatever reason. But it made a point of telling me it only took Mustang to tell him where Ed was and planned on giving him back until Mustang offered to make a deal to be sent to where Ed was." Hawkeye's eyes narrowed until they were barely more than slits the more Alphonse said to her. The other members of the team weren't idiots and they knew exactly what Hawkeye was thinking. So as to not suffer her wrath, they got stuck into their work while Hawkeye and Al continued talking. If all of them had an ear on the conversation, no one said anything.

"I see." Hawkeye's tone was clipped as she glanced down at the paperwork she had been sorting and glaring up at Mustang's inner office door before bringing her gaze back to Alphonse. Al had been scared that he might be at the receiving end of one of her infamous glares but thankfully, her eyes had softened before he met them. "Fuhrer Grumman has extended his wishes for a speedy recovery for both Edward and Brigadier-General Mustang. It's a shame that Edward had caught a virus and passed it along but Fuhrer Grumman is willing to give them a week's sick leave. If needed, he will extend it." Al could read between the lines easily. Grumman has taken into consideration the fact that Ed and Mustang had never been gone more than five days but that they wouldn't know for sure when they would be back so he's created a cover story that took that into account.

"Would you thank Fuhrer Grumman for me, please? I'll pass his well-wishes onto Ed. I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Alphonse asked, sticking with the story Hawkeye had just given him.

"I'll gladly pass the message along for you. " She told him and he nodded.

"Thank you, Captain Hawkeye." Al gave her a grateful smile that she returned, if a bit tightly. The team were listening carefully, half because they needed to know what stories they needed to repeat if asked and half because they were simply nosey, before getting back to work when Hawkeye glanced at them. "I need to go to the bank now. I'll see you guys later." He told them. He received a chorus of confirmations and goodbyes before he headed out of the office and started walking to the bank.

* * *

The next couple of days were as uneventful as possible for a weekend with a five-year-old to keep entertained and a low, constant worry churning in his gut that spiked every time he thought of his absent brother and Mustang. Edward had been missing for four and a half days by Sunday and Mustang had been gone for four and the worry hadn't disappeared completely. It was the same kind of worry he'd always felt whenever Edward had been forced to go on missions without him – because he'd been too conspicuous when bonded to the armour or too ill while recovering when he got his body back – and they hadn't maintained constant contact during the mission. It would dissipate when he could speak with Ed before returning the moment they'd hung up the phone to each other. With Ed being in a separate dimension and unable to contact anyone back here, Al wouldn't even get that short relief.

On the Monday, Alphonse headed back to the office to check in with the team and see if some how they had heard anything. It was also a convenient excuse to get out of the house and distract himself from the worry that hadn't quite left him as yet. Hawkeye had inquired after Ed's health and Al had done the same for Mustang's once Al had gotten to the office. Al stayed for a little bit before returning home so Elysia didn't panic when he wasn't home when she got back from school.

By the time Friday had rolled around, Al decided to pay the team another visit. He hadn't had any contact with anyone except for Gracia and Elysia for the three days and as much as he loved that little girl and appreciated Gracia, he needed to get outside as soon as possible, if only for the feel of fresh air and the sunshine on him. Visiting the team was the best way to do so. Plus, ever since Wednesday had rolled into Thursday and there had been no sign of either missing alchemist, Al had grown far more worried. Both previous trips had been over within five days or even sooner. The two alchemists had been gone for more than a week now and he knew there must've been a good reason – them not having finished Truth's mission being the most probable – but that didn't mean he wasn't anxious as more time passed without Edward or Mustang appearing.

* * *

As soon as he entered the offices, he knew the team was just as on edge as he was. Undoubtedly, they had all realised them having been gone for nine days now was now longer than both their previous disappearances put together and that was giving them as much cause for concern as it was Alphonse. Everyone was working diligently, like they always did when under Hawkeye's watchful gaze, but there was a tension there, like they all half-expected Ed and Mustang to just turn up in the middle of the office at any given moment. Hawkeye was by far the most put together out of them all – though no one really expected anything less – and Alphonse caught a glimpse of Mustang's inner office when Hawkeye reappeared from dropping off a new pile as Al walked in through the outer office door. Mustang might actually die from the amount of paper in that office. Al almost fell sorry for the man.

"Alphonse. It's good to see you." Hawkeye greeted as she closed the behind her firmly and headed back to her own desk. "How is Edward?" She asked, getting back to her own work but Al could tell he still had her full attention.

"He's doing well. I think he's nearly over it. Hopefully he'll be able to get back to undertaking missions next week. He's growing antsy being so cooped up for so long." Al told them. "I see Brigadier-General Mustang also hasn't recovered yet." He said observantly.

"No, he hasn't." Hawkeye told him. "He did contact Fuhrer Grumman while you were gone to request some extra sick leave but we haven't heard from him. Fuhrer Grumman had been kind enough to pay us a visit on Wednesday to tell us himself." Hawkeye shuffled some papers around before glancing up at Alphonse with a kind, understanding look in her eyes. "I'm sure it won't be long before he's back at work." She said kindly. Al nodded.

"He better or he might not be able to get into his office soon." Al joked, causing Hawkeye's smile to turn slightly vindictive while a few of the others snorted, passing it off as a sneeze or a cough.

"Brigadier-General Mustang is fully aware of the fact that the work doesn't stop just because he has fallen ill." She told him and Al couldn't keep the grin off his face. Everyone who wasn't part of the team might have thought that Captain Hawkeye was always professional, calm and seemingly unflappable but that's just because she knew how to bide her time and take her revenge in petty but completely legitimate ways so you couldn't complain about it.

"Well, I have to go. Just thought I ought to drop by so you knew how Brother was doing. Gracia has asked me to pick some things up on my way back to the house." Al explained before he took his exit. He knew everyone was still worried about Ed and Mustang and he had to admit that, as worried as he was, it warmed his heart that the team were as worried about Ed as they were about Mustang. He would have to remember to tell Edward this when his brother got home. He really hoped that wouldn't be too much longer. He really missed his brother.

* * *

Gracia was leaning against her kitchen countertop while she waited for her kettle to finish boiling. Alphonse had offered to take Elysia to the park for a couple of hours when her young daughter had started to get a little stir-crazy after so long in the house on a nice day. Gracia had been too tired after such a long work week combined with her usual motherly duties – even if Alphonse was helping as often as he could – and her constant worry for Edward and Roy and Alphonse had noticed so he'd asked if he could take Elysia to the nearby park. Elysia had been all for the idea and Gracia had been very grateful for the offer and had given her permission. It was days like today that she felt Maes' absence far more intensely than she usually did. The kettle finished boiling and she poured her tea, adding the single sugar and splash of milk she always had and tossed the teabag out before heading into the lounge room.

She was reading a light novel she had started a few weeks ago but struggled to finish due to her work commitments and general lack of time that came with being a single, working mother. She took a sip of her tea and flipped the page she had finished. She soon developed a quick routine. She'd finish a page, take a sip of tea, turn her page, repeat. Finish page, sip tea, turn page. Repeat. Finish page, sip tea, turn page. Repeat. Finish page, sip tea –

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light that caused Gracia to shriek and drop her cup, the china shattering when it hit the floor and the tea still remaining in it splashing everywhere when there, in the middle of her lounge room, stood Edward and Roy, both of whom looked just as shocked to be there as she was to have them suddenly appear. She took in the bandage on Edward's arm and the butterfly band aids on his face plus their unusual outfits that reminded Gracia of the clothing Ed had been gifted the last time they dimension-hopped and the strange, rectangular object Edward clung to in the split second it took for her to stand up and wrap her arms around Edward. He grunted and stumbled back slightly before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"It is so good to see you back safe. You had us all so worried!" She admonished him as she pulled away and gently placed her hands on either side of his face and took him in properly. He looked like he had been sleeping better at least but the covered wounds still worried her. The way he twitched under her hold before deliberately leaning into it – like he was assuring himself it was a gentle touch – worried her even more. However, she left it for the moment and turned to face the second previously missing alchemist and leveled a fierce glare on him, all the while maintaining a hand on Edward's cheek, the other pointing threateningly at the raven-haired alchemist. "Don't think Alphonse didn't tell us that you asked to go over to wherever the two of you ended up! You're in a lot of trouble with Riza! And with Elysia!" She scolded him before enveloping him in a hug, still refusing to move her hand from Edward, so she forced him to stoop slightly to hug her back.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Gracia, and Elysia. I didn't think it would be a good idea for Fullmetal to unsupervised in a different dimension. Who knows if it would've survived?" Mustang joked as he pulled away from his best friend's wife and got a good look at her tear-filled, worried and relived eyes. Ed scowled at him and went to say something when Gracia turned back to him and brushed a hand through his hair before lightly grazing the butterfly band aids.

"Are you alright, Ed?" She asked, eyes on the band aids and flicking down to his arm. Ed gave her a warm smile that had no underlying tension or worry that Mustang hadn't realised he had been carrying throughout their whole adventure.

"I'm alright, Miss Gracia. You are not going to believe where we ended up this time. I've got this," he lifted the strange device she had noticed and fiddled with it a little, breathing a small sigh of relief when it lit up – startling Gracia – and showing her the lit side, "to prove what I tell you guys. I really don't think you'd believe me otherwise. I know I wouldn't have." He chuckled a little before he looked around. "Where are Alphonse and Elysia?" He asked, worry immediately overtaking his features.

"Alphonse took Elysia to the park for me. Things have been very tense the last few days. You were gone a lot longer than you had been previously." Gracia told them and Ed's face turned immediately apologetic. "Don't try to apologise. We know it wasn't your intention to worry us." She assured him, patting his cheek lightly before looking at the clock. "Alphonse and Elysia should be home in a few minutes. I'm gonna make another cup of tea. Do you two want some coffee?" She asked, turning to head to the kitchen but Mustang cut her off.

"I'll make it, Gracia. It was kind of our fault you dropped your last cup." Mustang said with a slightly sheepish smile. "I take it you want a coffee, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked. Gracia looked at Ed expectantly when no answer was immediately forthcoming. There was a completely bewildered expression on the blondes face but he wasn't looking at either of them. They watched as the expression turned to one of pure joy before he looked at Mustang.

"I can still hear them." He told the older man, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Gracia was completely lost but Mustang seemed to understand what he was talking about right away.

"Really? I would've thought the distance and the fact we're in another dimension would've cut them off from you." Mustang said and Ed nodded but he was still grinning excitedly.

"I know. I thought the same thing but I'm talking them right now, Mustang!" He said, sounding absolutely delighted.

"Who are you talking to?" Gracia asked and both men jumped, like they'd forgotten she was there. Ed scratched the back of his head as Mustang gave him a 'you're it' look before vanishing into her kitchen.

"Uh that's a complicated story that I will happily tell you when Al and Elysia are home, if that's alright?" Ed asked, a little nervously. Gracia just gave him her usual soft smile.

"That's fine, Edward. How about we sit down while we wait for Roy?" She suggested before remembering the broken teacup near her chair. Ed noticed it again as well and crouched down next to the shattered remains before tapping a hand on the floor and sending blue energy stretching outwards, searching for every last speck that had once belonged to the tea cup and pulling it all together so the cup sat on the floor, completely whole and looking as if she had just bought it. Another tap had the now-cold remnants of the spilled tea dry up and Ed grabbed the cup as he straightened.

"There you go, Miss Gracia." He said with a smile. She accepted it in amazement.

"You didn't clap." She said, looking from the cup to Edward in awe.

"Yeah. That's part of the story." He told her as he sat in his spot on the couch. Gracia placed the empty tea cup on her small coffee table before settling back into her couch as Mustang brought out the fresh cups of coffee and tea and handed them out to each of them before taking his usual spot on the couch opposite Edward's. "Maybe you should call Miss Riza so she and the team can come over. That way we won't have to repeat the story twice. As long as it's alright with Miss Gracia." He suggested to Mustang innocently enough.

"Oh, that's a good idea. They can stay for dinner. I'll make some lasagna." Gracia agreed, knowing full well what Edward was doing and unashamedly encouraging it. Mustang looked betrayed but knew he couldn't back out of it without admitting he was scared of Hawkeye. With a sigh, he got to his feet and went into Hughes' office for the spare phone and privacy it offered. Gracia and Ed shared a smirk as they sipped their drinks. They couldn't hear the conversation Mustang was having but he was out within a few minutes so they knew he hadn't been able to offer a sufficient enough apology in that time. Ed was secretly gleeful. This meant he could still potentially get some form of entertainment at his boss' extent. He could feel the Lions amusement with him and he still couldn't believe he was still able to feel and talk to them. They assured him this wasn't some sort of dream.

"They'll be here in fifteen. Evidently they were finishing up for the day in the office when I called." Mustang told them. Gracia and Edward could hear the sulky undertone and smiled into their coffees. Mustang saw their smiles and scowled as he took a sip of his own drink.

* * *

Gracia was catching them up on everything that had happened since they were gone. Specifically, she was telling them about the cover stories that had been created for them officially and the story that Elysia had been told so they knew what they would be expected to say, if they were asked. Mustang and Ed both agreed that the 'Ed getting sick and passing it along to Mustang' story was fairly believable. The story for Elysia was simple. They were on a very secret mission and couldn't contact anyone and that they were sorry they left without saying goodbye to her. The last part was said as an obvious hint and they both nodded. Just in time as well, if the sounds of excited running and Al's voice accompanied with Elysia's laughter were anything to go by.

"Hey, Miss Gracia. We're back." Al called as he opened the front door. Elysia giggled as she entered the house.

"Shoes off, please. I'm in the lounge room." Gracia called, doing a superb job at hiding her excitement at seeing their reactions to their guests.

"Yes, Mama." Elysia called dutifully as she could be heard removing her shoes and bossing Al around. Ed was grinning into his hand as he imagined the scene. He stood as he heard them moving and could feel Mustang and Gracia's eyes on him. Elysia was the first around the corner and she stopped before she gaped comically as she took in the sight in front of her.

"BIG BROTHER ED! UNCLE ROY! YOU'RE HOME!" She yelled as she barreled into Edward, hugging his thighs tightly. He managed to pry her arms off his legs and lifted her into his arms as he hugged her back, getting a face full of blonde curls for his trouble.

Al had heard her shout and came rushing into the room and saw his brother standing there with Elysia in his arms. He hesitated as he took in the sight, wanting to hug his brother but not squish the small human doing her best impression of a barnacle. Mustang stood and offered his hand so Al could shake it.

"It's good to see you, Alphonse." He offered and Al shook his hand tightly.

"It's good to see you as well, Sir. I'm glad you're both home and in one piece." Alphonse said, keeping hold of his hand for a little longer than necessary but Mustang didn't mention anything, allowing Alphonse the few extra seconds holding onto his hand it took for him convince himself they really were there. Mustang glanced over at Edward and Elysia and saw that Ed was whispering something – probably apologies – to the young girl. "You may want to call Captain Hawkeye. I think she has been determined to fill your office with paperwork, Sir." Al suggested, voice as innocent sounding as ever but Mustang could see the twinkle in the boy's eyes that had him narrow his eyes at him.

"She has already been informed of our arrival. She and the others will be here for dinner." Mustang said it in the way that one would announce their impending death. Which was actually a pretty accurate description, if you thought about it.

Elysia was sitting in Ed's arms now, with her hands on his shoulders and him leaning back from her so she called talk to him face-to-face. Mustang hadn't been following their conversation but it seemed like Elysia was making sure Ed was okay, patting his bandaged cheek gently as she asked, and wanting to know where he had been and why he left without saying goodbye to her. He was apologising and assuring her he was alright and that he would tell her all about it after he had spoken to Alphonse. She nodded, accepted the answer and wrapped her arms back around his neck and giving him another big hug. Once she had deemed him hugged enough, she asked to be let down, which he immediately did, before she headed for Mustang to give him a hug.

The moment Elysia was halfway to Mustang, Alphonse slammed into Ed and the brothers hugged each other tightly, each seemingly trying to squeeze the other to death. Mustang swept Elysia up into a hug, which she immediately gave him before pushing him back so she could start interrogating him. Gracia watched amused as her close friend was berated by her daughter and she felt her heart swell with happiness at the sight of the two brothers trying to reassure each other that they really were back in the same dimension.


	22. Chapter 22

"Don't ever do that to me again. Next time Truth kidnaps you, tell it to take me as well." Al sobbed as he clung to Edward as hard as he could. He felt the solid band of metal around the middle of his back that told him Edward was hugging back just as tightly. "You have got to stop having inter-dimensional travels without warning." He half-laughed, half-sobbed into Ed's shoulder.

"I'll tell Truth I'm banned from travelling to other dimensions unless you're with me." Ed laughed as he gripped onto Al closer. "It's so good being back. You have no idea what we got up to." Ed said with a chuckle.

"It's really good to have you back as well, Brother. I missed you so much." Al whispered before squeezing tightly then pushing Ed away so he could get a good look at him, eyes immediately catching on the butterfly band aids and his wrapped arm. "Why is it you always come back hurt?" Al asked, sighing exasperatedly before letting out a slightly wet chuckle as Ed grinned at him cheekily.

"Not my fault there are idiots in each dimension who refuse to just surrender without a fight." Ed told him but Al noticed the joke didn't reach his eyes and knew that something bad had happened while they were over there. He wanted to ask but then his brother glanced at Elysia – who was still talking to Mustang – and Al realised that maybe this wasn't something that Elysia should hear.

"What's that?" Alphonse asked as his eyes fell on the tablet that Ed had left on the couch when he'd hopped up to greet Al and Elysia.

"My tablet." Ed grinned at Al's flummoxed look and let go of him before grabbing the tablet and plonking back on the couch, patting the spot next to him so Al would sit. Elysia noticed and almost leapt out of Mustang's arms before scrambling into Ed's lap almost faster than they could believe. Elysia grinned up at him and Ed repaid her by poking her in the side. "You can't touch the screen, okay, El?" Ed asked and she looked at him confused. "The screen is this whole thing here." He outlined it for her and she nodded. Gracia moved around the back of the couch and Mustang did as well. Ed switched the tablet back on and opened the device so he could get to the files he wanted to show them. He could see the notification that told him he had six unopened video messages but he ignored them for the moment and brought up his photos.

"Who's that?" Elysia immediately asked as Ed pulled up a photo and before he could explain. He poked her in the side again.

"If you gave me a chance, I'd tell you." He scolded the little girl as she giggled. He stopped the tickle attack before pointing out those in the photo. "These are the people Mustang and I met while on our super-secret mission. Do you remember the rules you need to follow when it comes to us telling you about these kinds of missions?" Ed asked Elysia, who nodded immediately.

"I can't tell anyone, not even my friends, about what you tell me. If someone asks where you were, I have to tell them what Mama tells me to say." Elysia dutifully replied.

"Good job." Ed said as he squeezed her tightly around the middle. Mustang reached over and ruffled her hair, much to Elysia's delight. Ed got her attention back, sensing the impatience rolling off his brother as he looked at the photo. "These are our new friends. They live really far away so we might not see them again but they gave me this tablet so I can show you all the cool stuff we saw and did." He was talking more to Elysia but no one really minded. "This is Shiro. He's the one who was in charge of the others. He had an arm like mine but it was designed differently. He and the four others each have this really big ship that they use to help protect other people. Shiro had the black one." Ed told them. He knew this wasn't as detailed as Al and Gracia would want but he could tell them more later. "This is Keith. He's really good with a sword and he doesn't like a lot of people. He has the red ship." He pointed at Lance next. "This is Lance. He's a marksman, like Miss Riza. He's also the medic so he patched me up whenever I got hurt. He's really funny and really nice and he worries about everyone all the time. He has the blue ship." The next one was Pidge. "This is Pidge but her real name is Katie. Her dad and brother got lost and no one could find them but we did while we were there. She's really, really smart. She made me this tablet. She has the green ship." Ed pointed to the last person in the photo, other than himself and Mustang. "This is Hunk. He's really nice and doesn't get mad easily. He cooks for everyone and his food is just as good as your mum's! He's also really smart and he has the yellow ship." Ed told them all and only Elysia seemed satisfied with the information he's given. He swiped the screen with a finger to pull up another photo of him with the Alteans that Lance had taken for them. "You won't believe this but this lady here," Ed pointed to Allura, "is a real Princess." Ed told Elysia and as he expected, she wriggled excitedly.

"Is she really?" Elysia asked as she stared at the picture. "She's really pretty! She looks like a princess!" Elysia exclaimed as she continued staring at the photo.

"She really is." Ed confirmed and Elysia made an amazed noise. "She may be very pretty but she's also really smart and very kind but she's also strong and determined. She was always happy to listen to any of us and she was interested in learning everything she could. Her name is Allura, Princess of Altea, which was a faraway country, but she and her adviser and friend, Coran – that's him there – " Ed pointed to Coran in the picture, "offered their help to stop some bad people fighting everyone. They joined the other five people so they could try and stop the fighting. That's why I went over there. They needed some more help so I went to help them. Your Uncle Roy decided to follow me for whatever reason." Ed told her, grinning to himself as his wording wasn't unnoticed by the fiver-year-old and she promptly spun in his lap so she could look up at Mustang.

"Why'd you follow big brother Ed?" She asked him curiously. Ed adjusted her so her knees weren't cutting off his blood supply to his legs.

"Someone had to make sure he didn't end up in the hospital again because he did something silly." Mustang told her. Elysia nodded like that was an acceptable reason. Mustang didn't miss the scowl on Ed's face that managed to disappear as Elysia glanced back to the blonde before she wiggled back into his lap.

Ed ignored Mustang as he flipped through his photos again only to find one taken shortly after he'd revealed his nightmares to Shiro. Later that day, the five Lions had found him while they had taken a break from training - before Ed had gone with Lance and Keith to scan Zarkon's ship - and demanded a hug pile. Lance had been dragged along, mostly bemused at his Lion's behaviour, and was ordered into the hug pile as well. Ed and Lance had known better to argue and surrendered to the bossy Lions. The five of them had made themselves mattresses for the two boys to lean on and once Lance had settled against Blue and Ed had draped himself on Black and Red, Yellow and Green placed themselves carefully over the two human's lower halves. Ed and Lance had used the time to go over more lessons in Altean, Spanish and Galran.

"These are Altean Lions. They're very friendly so long as they like you." There was a side glance and quick smirk aimed at Mustang before Ed continued telling Elysia about the Lions. "These are Black, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue. Black is really nice. She's the oldest of them all so she's in charge. Red can be a little cranky sometimes but she is a sweetheart once you get to know her. Yellow is really cuddly and is always happy to give you hugs if you want one. Green is funny. She's always getting into things she shouldn't because she wants to know how everything works. Blue is really sweet even if she can be a bit of a worry-wart. She motherhen's worse than Al!" Ed exclaimed, causing Elysia to giggle while Alphonse looked slightly offended.

"They're letting you lay on them so they must like you." Elysia deduced and Ed nodded. "Did they like Uncle Roy?" She asked, looking up at Ed then Mustang.

"No, I don't think they did. We never found out why either." Ed sighed long-sufferingly. He resolved to ask the Lions later and felt their amusement and knew he might not find out without a fight.

* * *

At that moment there were three quick, sharp knocks on the front door and Elysia scrambled out of Ed's lap and shot to the door like a bullet. No one followed her, though Gracia did stand up in case she needed to go rescue her daughter from a salesperson.

"Hello, Miss Riza! Hello, Mr Havoc!" She continued greeting everyone as they walked through the door individually. They heard each team member greet her back with the same level of enthusiasm and politeness she managed to greet them in. One after the other, they made their way back to the lounge room and were greeted by the sight of Ed sitting on the couch with Alphonse while Gracia and Mustang were flanking their couch.

"Hey, Chief. Hey, Boss." Havoc greeted them with a massive grin. The lack of cigarette in between his teeth meant he'd taken Gracia's threat to tip a glass of water over his head any time he came into her house with a cigarette – lit or unlit – in his mouth to heart. "It's good to see you two back in here." He said while the others pile up behind him. Fuery was, surprisingly, the first to move forward, shaking Mustang's hand and grinning when Mustang shook back.

"It's good to have you back, Sir." Fuery said before turning to Ed and surprising him with possibly the quickest hug he'd ever received. "It's good having you back as well, Ed." Fuery said when he let go.

"Thanks, Fuery. It's good being back home." Ed said with a grin. Fuery looked relieved for some reason Ed couldn't fathom but he was being greeted by Breda before he could think too long about it.

"It's nice to see you in one piece, Ed." Breda said as he gripped Ed in a one arm hug before letting him go almost as quickly as Fuery had. Havoc had just finished greeting Mustang with a handshake when Fuery had let him go and the older blonde grabbed Ed in a grip around his shoulders and ruffled his hair.

"It's good to see you, Chief." Havoc laughed as Ed grumbled good-naturedly at the treatment. He was allowed to straighten up in time to greet Falman by shaking his hand and replying to the older man's greeting.

Then Hawkeye walked into the room. She glared at Mustang out of the corner of her eye but didn't otherwise acknowledge him, instead walked right up to Edward. Both Falman and Havoc were quick to get out of her path and stood near Gracia. Ed didn't have any time to give them a glare of his own. He could see Al's worried expression and Mustang confused and relieved one, the bastard, before Hawkeye stopped in front of him

"It's good to have you back in Amestris, Sir." She greeted before pulling the blonde in for a hug that he barely managed to return before she released him, pulling away so one hand lay on his uninjured cheek and the other on his shoulder. "You had us all very worried when Alphonse reported you missing. I hope those injuries aren't too severe." She added, looking at his cheek and arm pointedly. Ed was relieved the bruising on his neck was gone by now because he would never have been able to hide that from Hawkeye. He felt the Lions concerns but sent them calm feelings down their bond.

"No, they aren't. They should be healed within a week." Ed told her. "I'm sorry about worrying you guys. You can trust me when I say that I hope Truth stays away from me for the rest of my life." He told them and Hawkeye allowed him to see the slight smile on her lips before she nodded and gave the cheek she had laid her hand on a small pat before she let go of him and turned to their boss. Havoc, Bred and Fuery were all gaping at him and he shrugged, indicating his own confusion at the whole thing. He could count on one hand the amount of times Hawkeye had hugged him and the one just now was included in that count. Falman was the only who looked completely neutral but Ed knew that was because of the years he'd spent perfecting that expression.

* * *

Everyone watched as the stern blonde walked over to stand in front of Mustang. Ed could see the slight tremble in the older man's knees as his blonde Captain stared him down, completely expressionless. Elysia had returned to the room after Hawkeye had walked through and was nestled on her mother's lap and she was watching the scene with intense confusion. No one even dared to breathe too loudly as Hawkeye stood in front of Mustang.

"Sir." She snapped a salute that Ed swore Mustang flinched slightly from before he returned it and nodded to let her lower her arm. "I hope you've recovered from your illness, Sir. I'm sure you're anxious to get a head start on the paperwork that has accumulated in your office, including the piles I found in some rather unusual places," even Ed winced at the scathing tone of her voice, "so I imagine we will see you at the office bright and early tomorrow morning." Sundays were normally the day that Mustang took off during the week and it was a common threat of Hawkeye's that if Mustang didn't complete the needed paperwork, she would turn up at his house with the remaining paperwork on his day off and make him go through it while she babysat him.

"I believe that would be acceptable, Captain." Mustang said, keeping his voice as calm as possible to hide the fear he felt while under the death glare Hawkeye had him pinned under. "I am very sorry that my sudden illness has caused you so much work and undue stress. I thank you for keeping the office running as perfectly as ever, despite my absence." Mustang said sincerely, knowing the apology would be a good start but not near enough.

"Your absence hasn't caused me any extra work, Sir. Any extra work it has resulted in has ended up on your desk, awaiting your signature. Your apology is appreciated however, Sir." Hawkeye said and no one missed the tone of voice she had used for most of that statement. It was a tone that dared Mustang to try and get out of the paperwork on his desk and promised him pain if he did.

"I'm glad to hear it." Mustang sounded anything but and it was a real struggle not to openly laugh at him. Somehow, the rest of the team managed it.

"Well," Gracia clapped her hands, moved her daughter from her lap and stood up, "now that that is out of the way, I'm going to start preparing dinner. You are all welcome to stay, if you have no plans tonight. I'm making lasagna." Gracia told them and everyone nodded, which is what she had expected. She paused before she moved to the kitchen and looked at Elysia. "Would you like to come and help me in the kitchen, sweetheart?" Gracia asked her and Elysia's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Okay, Mama!" She was quick to her mother's side and the two of them headed for the kitchen. Gracia gave Edward and Mustang a pointed glance and they understood what she was doing for them. Giving them the room with no small human in it to hear them talk about their last ten days.

* * *

At Mustang's gesture, all of them who were standing sat down on the first spot available. Once everyone was settled and they could all hear Elysia and Gracia in the kitchen, indicating that the small girl was now very much occupied and unlikely to interrupt, did they start talking. Ed was first and had warned them not to interrupt and that he knew it would sound unbelievable but he had proof that they really were where they were. That certainly got their attention piqued. They had been willing to buy the alternate dimension thing at face value because none of them believed Mustang would go along with a story that fantastical. They hadn't truly believed it until they returned the second time and everyone got to glimpse through the portal to see all of the agents standing on the other side while Ed brought himself, Mustang and Moore up through the portal. So when Ed started talking, they all kept their minds as open as possible.

Ed had spoken about the time from when he disappeared until Mustang had shown up and everything in between before Mustang took over until after their sparring session. Edward then took up the story again, describing the Lions and Paladins training mission that he had a hand in and handing the reins back to Mustang after he got to the part where they figured out the teams and each team's target. Mustang describe his teams first training session and his and Shiro's walk to check on Edward and his team. Ed took over and described his training session before kind of glossing over everything that happened between those sessions and his trip in the shuttle. He did give the highlights of the time in between though he didn't mention the nightmare or Shiro helping him. Al was interested in the library and lit up when Ed said he had the books on his tablet, which he then explained to everyone else what the tablet was, before getting back on track.

He described his trip in the shuttle and he knew everyone was hooked onto the story at this point. He could also see some of them struggling to believe his and Mustang's story but he didn't call them out on it. He probably wouldn't have believed them if the roles were reversed but he had proof that he would present after the story. Mustang took up the story at that point and spoke all the way up until the moment they entered the Lions. Ed continued on from there. For some unknown reason, both Ed and Mustang had secretly decided not to mention Keith's parentage until later at this point. Ed took the story until the moment he had told Allura to take off in Blue and summed up what Allura had told them happened. Mustang then told about his team's fight against Zarkon and continued until the moment his team and all of the Lions were behind the door that had blocked them from Haggar and Edward's team before stopping and looking at Ed.

Ed sighed and told them about the fight against Haggar and what she had done and said. Al had gasped when he told them that she'd had the ability to pluck information out of people's minds and had tried to use their mother against him, offering him the chance to bring her back. He then told them about his teams combined efforts to take her down and how she seemed to be growing more and more unstable the longer the fight took without her landing a physical blow. He told them about the lucky shot that took Pidge out of the fight and Ed's plan to get Lance over to Pidge so they were both safe. He told them about Haggar grabbing him and what she had told him as she slowly strangled him before the door behind them had been blown open. He told them about Shiro running for him and their mutual strike against the witch. He felt Al grab his flesh hand and squeeze it tightly. He returned the gesture.

Mustang took the story from there when Ed paused for a breath. He didn't say a word about Ed's reaction, other than him having to pull Ed's blade out of Haggar's neck and helping Shiro get his arm out of the witch's chest. He then lied and said he sent Ed and Shiro over to Lance and the others to check on Pidge and have Lance patch Ed up while he dealt with Haggar's body. Ed picked up the story there and told them Pidge's prognosis and them leaving Zarkon's ship in the Lions before landing in the Castle-Ship and getting Pidge to the medbay. He then told them they didn't do much after that since Allura hadn't wanted to have the debrief twice and made the decision to wait for Pidge to wake up and join them. Mustang told the team about the debriefing and reveal of Keith's alien heritage and resulting talk to Allura that happened. He also told them about the apology that had soon followed and how everyone had reacted. Ed took on the last part of the story.

"Truth then grabbed us when we fell asleep and sent us home with no toll needing to be paid since we had been smart enough to include that in our deal with that seedy, faceless jerk," it was clear he wanted to say something else but had censored himself since Elysia was in the house, "and the next thing we know, we're standing in the middle of Gracia's lounge room and had scared the crap out of her." Ed finished up the story and he and Mustang waited patiently as the team took their time processing everything they had just been told. Even Hawkeye and Falman had given up keeping their usually stoic masks in place.

"You were sent to another dimension but this time you were sent into space to fight a 10,000 year old war between this Galran race and the rest of the universe?" Havoc was the first of the team to make any sort of noise and this seemed to have an effect on the rest of them. It was like they had been caught in a daydream or something because they all shook their heads lightly, like they were trying to clear it.

"I was. Mustang just tagged along because he could." Ed told them.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I don't want to say I don't believe you but everything you just said…" Fuery trailed off, leaving Ed to fill in the missing sentence.

"Seems completely unbelievable." He said and Fuery nodded. "Yeah I can understand why. If you tried to tell me that two weeks ago, I would've assumed you had a fever or that Winry had taken a wrench to your head." That comment seemed to make Alphonse jolt but he waved off his brother's concerned look. Ed shrugged and looked back at the team, grabbing his tablet as he did so. "I have proof of everything I said, though. Do you want to see it?" He asked, offering the device.

They hesitated but let Ed come over and sit in front of the couch most of them had occupied. He settled in front of it and only Havoc and Breda needed to move to be able to see the small screen. He showed them the same photos he had shown Al, Gracia and Elysia earlier so they were able to put a face to the names he'd told them. He showed them videos of their training sessions and Hawkeye looked rather envious of Lance's bayard's ability to shift forms instantly to suit his needs. He then showed them the video his armour's helmet had recorded when they headed so he could scan Zarkon's ship and they all gasped as they saw deep space for the very first time. He showed them more pictures and features of the tablet, including part of a movie Pidge had managed to sneak on it. Ed was very grateful for that. Once he figured they'd had their fill, he hopped up and headed back to sit next to Al once more.

"That is unbelievable. I think it might take me some time to wrap my head around this one, Chief." Havoc said, somewhat apologetically. Ed smirked. He understood that feeling. Al didn't complain about not being shown anything more. He knew Ed would likely show him and Gracia what he'd shown the team once Elysia was in bed.

"You really were in space." Fuery said, looking like he'd just had his whole world turned upside down. Ed could also understand that feeling.

"You were in space with giant, mechanical robots that you helped so they could turn into real lions and a space princess and her adviser and a random handful of humans." Breda seemed awed and still slightly disbelieving.

"Fighting against a race of aliens who have been trying to take over their universe for the last 10,000 years where your jobs were to end the witch and leader of said alien race who were both as old as the war." Havoc added on in the same tone as Breda.

"And Edward is still mentally connected to the five alien space lions, despite being in a different universe?" Falman asked, bewildered.

"Yup." Ed and Mustang said at the same time.

"You two couldn't have a weirder adventure if you tried. There is no topping that." Havoc declared and immediately there were numerous groans from around him.

"You can't say things like that!" Al hissed. "Truth will take it as a challenge!" Havoc looked appropriately apologetic.

"Mama wants me to tell you that dinner is ready." Elysia called from the doorway. She didn't ask any questions which meant she hadn't heard their discussion at all. Ed sighed in relief. There were some things she didn't need know until she was much older.

* * *

The group followed Al and Ed into the dining room before sitting around Gracia's dining room table and digging in once given permission from the head of the household; Elysia. They discussed mundane things while having dinner. Hawkeye never missed an opportunity to remind Mustang of the mountain of paperwork waiting for him and Edward made sure he got in on the action as well. Hawkeye never gave him her warning look that he might be pushing his luck so he took that as permission to keep going with it. Mustang looked ready to set himself on fire before the end of the night.

Once dinner was finished, everyone helped Gracia clean up the dishes and Ed and Al offered to do the dishes since Gracia had cooked but she waved them out of a kitchen with a 'thanks but no thanks' and a soft smile, her eyes lingering on Ed, like she still couldn't quite believe he was home. Ed felt the same way. He was half convinced he would wake up in the morning back in his quarters on the Castle-Ship, where he'd left the clothing he had been wearing when Truth had kidnapped him.

While waiting for Gracia to join them in the living room, they all listened to Elysia catch Mustang and Ed up on the adventures she'd had a school, running out of the room at times to grab some artwork or other things she needed to accompany her stories. Alphonse helped remind her of some of the details she'd missed or struggled to remember and everyone was seemingly hanging onto every word she said.

Gracia came back and offered everyone a hot drink but Hawkeye stood up, the rest of the team immediately following suit. Even Mustang looked like he was going to follow the blonde Captain's lead before remembering he was the person in charge of the others and wasn't required to follow their lead so he remained seated.

"Thank you, Gracia, but I'm afraid I must pass. I haven't walked Black Hayate yet and I need to get an early night since I'll have an early start in the morning." A very pointed look at Mustang at this moment. "Thank you for dinner. It was lovely, as always." Hawkeye smiled at their hostess.

"You're most welcome, Riza. Thank you." Gracia accepted the compliment with grace. "Are you all leaving?" She asked, looking at the men.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for dinner and the offer of a hot drink but I have work in the morning as well." Falman told her and the other members of the team all thanked Gracia before excusing themselves.

"Would you like a ride back to your house, Sir?" Hawkeye asked, voice seemingly cordial.

Mustang contemplated his options. He could refuse. Gracia would put him up for the night but he knew his refusal would be seen as fear of Hawkeye's wrath and would give Edward some ammunition to use against him. Plus, he would be stuck in a car at his Captain's mercy for the duration of the trip. However, he didn't have a uniform here and the spare he kept in his office had been taken for him to change into when he'd accidentally split some coffee on the uniform he'd been wearing and he hadn't replaced it yet. He'd also get to shower in his own bathroom and sleep in his own bed and eat toast in his own kitchen that wasn't purple.

"I would be grateful for one." Mustang said in response. His desire to sleep in his own bed and keep any more ammunition out of Ed's hands outweighing his desire to push off Hawkeye's vengeance for a little longer.

"Very well. 1st Lieutenant Havoc will drive you home." Hawkeye said and Havoc nodded. Mustang let out an internal sigh of relief. He was safe. For now.

The team said their goodbyes to the Elric brothers and Hughes women, with plenty of joking warnings for Ed not to vanish on them again during the night. He assured them he'd tell Truth where to stick it if it tried. They laughed and filed out of the house one at a time. Elysia was the final person they had to say goodbye to since the little girl was standing guard at the door, ready to close it when the last guest had left. Mustang was the last to leave, Havoc waiting at the front door for him.

"Thank you for dinner, Gracia, and sorry for startling you this afternoon." Mustang said with a slightly sheepish smile. Gracia pulled him into a hug.

"You're welcome, Roy. Make sure you don't go following Edward into another dimension without letting Riza know first. I think the only reason she didn't shoot you on sight was because she was in my home." Gracia warned him and Ed and Al shared a grin. Gracia rarely joked about Mustang ending up on the wrong end of Hawkeye's guns, what with her displeasure for the weapon and Hughes' cause of death, but she did sometimes join in on the joke.

"I'll do my best." He promised her before turning to the brothers. "It was good catching up with you, Alphonse. I'm glad to see you doing so well, especially with the stress the last week and a half must have caused you." Mustang said, offering his hand for Al to take.

"Thank you, Sir." Al said, grasping his hand and shaking it. "It was good seeing you as well, even if it was a complete surprise to see you suddenly in the living room. Thank you for making sure Edward came home in one piece." Al said, ignoring his older brother's grumbles and the slight whack to his shoulder.

"With your brother's tendency to find trouble in an empty room, it was difficult at times, but you are welcome." Mustang said, ignoring his youngest subordinate's indignant 'hey!' before he turned to face the eldest Elric, who had a fairly impressive scowl on his face. "Please try not to go on anymore inter-dimensional adventures. I don't think anyone will appreciate that." Mustang said and Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm making no promises, Mustang. 'Sides, Al has dibs on joining me on the next adventure while you stay here and do your paperwork." Ed told him with a smirk. Mustang just rolled his eyes at the blonde before saying a final goodbye to everyone and joining up with Havoc, giving Elysia a hug and her own goodbye on the way out. Elysia closed the door and locked it before joining the three remaining people, immediately demanding Ed pick her up and tell her more stories about his adventure.

* * *

Edward was sitting cross-legged on his unmade bed, tablet in his lap as he listened to the Lions tell him about how the day had gone on the Castle-Ship since they realised the two of them had gone up until the time Ed was talking to the Lions. They laughed when the Lions told him that Red had won the bet about when Lance would remember that the Lions were able to contact Ed and Blue had been nice enough to tell Lance how everything was going without being too invasive. Ed appreciated it. The Lions had finished telling him about how upset Keith had been that the Haverians and Bronthiods had politely refused their offer help returning the Bronthiods to their home planet and they'd watched as the locals had been able to kick the Galrans off the captured planet with ease when Al stepped into the room from his shower.

"I have to go call Winry." Al said, sighing as he sat on the edge of his own bed and continued drying his hair. "I promised I would when you turned up so if she asks, you turned up before dinner." Al warned him. Ed wanted to question why but figured Al had been given a deadline he'd missed.

"Tell her I said hi but that I'm in the shower and I'll call her tomorrow if she's still gonna be at Granny's." Ed said.

"Why don't you come with me and talk to her now?" Al asked as he stood.

"I don't feel like waking Elysia and Gracia because she's shrieking at me through the phone." Ed told him like it was obvious. Al nodded but still didn't move to leave the room. "What?" Ed asked as he watched his little brother hesitate before he realised what was wrong. "I will be here when you come back. I swear." Ed told him and Al sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Al said before throwing himself on Ed and wrapping his arms around his oldest brother's neck and hugging tight. Ed wrapped his arms around his brother in turn and they held onto each other. "I was so scared when you went missing. Even though I knew Truth had to be behind it, I didn't know for sure and that scared me. The team and I didn't get any answers until the night after Mustang was gone and we were all scared because we just didn't know if it was definitely Truth or if something else had happened. Then you were gone for so long, much longer than before, and Miss Riza was getting visibly worried. You can't do that to me again." Al whispered fervently as he clung tightly to Ed's neck.

"I'm sorry I left you for so long. I'm sorry for making you worried. Next time Truth takes me anywhere, I'm going to punch it in the face and tell it to fuck off unless you get to go with me. Mustang doesn't get anymore inter-dimensional trips with me." Ed told him, causing Al to laugh a little wetly before his brother let go of him and scrubbed his face.

"I'm sorry about what you were forced to do. I know how much it's affecting you. I hope you talk to someone about it. Maybe your lion friends can help. But I have to be honest; I'm glad you killed that witch. It meant I got you back without you being too hurt. I just wish you didn't have to do it." Alphonse said and Ed felt his eyes water before he hauled his brother back in for a hug and clung to him this time.

He pulled away after a couple of minutes and wiped his face. "Go call Winry before she senses I'm back with her witchy powers and pummels both of us with her wrench. I'll be right here." Ed told him, causing his brother to laugh and shake his head before leaving the room. Ed watched him go before turning back to the tablet in his lap.

" _He was right, you know."_  Red told him, causing Ed to jump slightly.  _"You have to talk to someone about it. You did promise Blue's cub, after all."_  Red reminded him and Ed said a silent promise that he would reach out when he felt he needed too before he turned his attention to the six unopened messages on his tablet and played the first one.

* * *

" _Hey, Edward. Hunk, Lance and I were talking about what we could do to make sure you heard us say a proper goodbye since you weren't sure when you would be leaving for Amestris."_ Pidge's face was smiling up at Ed as he watched the video file and he felt himself grinning like an idiot. He'd wished he'd been given the chance to say a proper goodbye to them all but he was glad they'd figured out a way to do it for him. He knew he would be using their Lion to pass on his messages for them. _"We figured you'd be taking the tablet with you so Lance came up with the idea to leave a video message from each of us on it. So, here goes."_ Pidge shuffled before talking once more. _"Thank you for helping Lance protect me from Haggar. If you're anything like Lance, you probably blamed yourself for me getting hurt and I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to make sure you weren't while you were still on the ship so I'm saying it now. It wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck I didn't move quick enough out of the way of that strike. It was no one's fault except that witch's."_ Pidge scowled at the thought of Haggar before brightening suddenly.  _"Moving on to something happier now. I wanted to thank you for so many more things but the biggest one is for helping reunite me and my family. I know you didn't realise you were but you pointing out there were humans on that ship had us make plans to get the prisoners out safely and that included my father and brother so thank you for that. Also, thank you for your help with my fighting techniques. You gave me so many pointers in a way that will actually help me. Shiro tries but I don't speak macho-gym-MMA like Keith and Shiro do."_ Pidge sneered at the thought and Ed chuckled at that. _"I also wanted to thank you for helping Lance and Keith in your own, brusque way. I know you were just telling it how it was but that's probably the best thing you could've done for them. Hunk and I have tried to keep Lance's self-esteem from getting the best of him but we're his best friends and anything we say only helps a little because his brain has him convinced we're only saying it because we're his best friends. Hearing compliments from you in your no-nonsense attitude helped him a lot. As for Keith, what you said when Allura found out about his heritage affected him. He probably won't say anything but I know that he appreciated it."_ She shook her head at her teammate's stubbornness to show emotion.  _"There's one more thing I wanted to thank you for and that was for agreeing to help. I know you never wanted too and that you did so because your conscious was yelling at you but I think you were good for the team and not just in helping us take down Haggar and Zarkon. You fit in with everyone and got along with them all and you never judged us for anything we saw as our own shortcomings. We're really going to miss you around here, Edward. I almost hope we find someway to get you back in our dimension or for us to travel to yours so we can visit you. Good luck with everything. Oh, and I hid some extras on the tablet for you. Just some things that might help your world technologically evolve a bit quicker."_ Pidge went to sign off when she stopped for a moment. _"Can you also thank Mustang for his help? Not just with Zarkon but for Hunk and Keith as well? Thanks! Bye now."_ She ended the recording there and Ed made a mental note to pass along the message before playing the next video _._

* * *

" _Hey, Ed! So, I'm sure Pidge told you the plan for us to all leave a message from us so we get to say a proper goodbye."_ Hunk's cheery voice and face played on the tablet and Ed could already feel himself grinning.  _"I'm sorry we didn't get to do this face-to-face so I could give you a hug but guess life isn't always fair. I hope you remember to eat often. Don't fall back onto your bad habit of starving yourself for hours on end just because you found an interesting book."_ Hunk pointed a finger at him, tapping the screen like he could tap Ed in the chest.  _"I put a file on your tablet that has all of your favourite recipes from what you've told me or you liked best out of what I cooked with the Earth version of the ingredients. I even included substitute ingredients in case Amestris doesn't have the same spices or whatnot."_ Hunk told him and Ed was already asking Yellow to send Hunk a thank you. Yellow agreed to do so with a laugh. _"Can you do me a favour and thank Mustang for what he said to me in Yellow? I didn't get to say anything to him before you left and what he said has helped."_ Hunk fidgeted a little. _"I think you should talk to Mustang as well. About Haggar. I know you two pretend to hate each other and I know you think he doesn't really care you for but I promise that isn't the case. Just try?"_ Hunk asked before shaking himself. _"I don't want to end this on that kind of note so I just want to thank you for everything else you did. For helping Yellow and the others with their transformation. For just being you, if I'm being honest. You probably don't know how much you helped all of us with your rather refreshing refusal to sugar-coat anything. I know Lance and Keith have taken a lot of what you said to heart so I want to thank you on their behalf because those two are as emotionally constipated as you."_ Ed laughed while Hunk chuckled on the video. _"I'll say goodbye now and that I kind of hope we get to meet up again somehow."_ Hunk smiled before stopping his recording. Ed grinned and tapped on the third video.

* * *

" _Hey, Ed."_ It was Keith's turn apparently. The poor teenager looked utterly nervous about what he was supposed to be doing but he must've figured it out because he ran a hand through his hair and looked into the camera. _"So, Pidge says everyone plans on leaving you a little video to say whatever we want to so you can see them when you get back to Amestris since we don't actually know when you're gonna leave. I don't really know what to say or where to start but I guess I should thank you?"_ He looked suddenly sure, nodding to himself once before looking back at the camera. _"Yes. Thank you. Thank you for telling me about my heritage as soon as you could. I know I probably didn't say it then but I really appreciate that you didn't keep it to yourself any longer than you had to. Also, thank you for stopping Allura when she found out about my being half-Galran. I know it wasn't just you but you were the first one to stand up and I appreciated it. Also, I don't know what you and Shiro talked about that night the two of you disappeared when he had his nightmare."_ Ed had actually forgotten that Shiro had claimed he'd had the nightmare and woken Ed up rather than vice versa. _"Whatever you talked about has helped him open up a little more in the last few days. You might not have noticed because you haven't known him as long. I honestly don't think he'd even noticed himself but thanks for that."_ Keith sighed, like some sort of weight had been lifted. _"Can you tell Mustang thanks for his fighting tips as well, please? Not just for me but for everyone as a whole? Oh, I should thank you for helping Pidge and Lance with their fighting skills as well. Lance and I sparred today and I could tell he'd improved a lot under your tutelage."_ Keith told him and Ed felt a flush of pride for the blue Paladin. _"Anyway, I don't really know what else to say except I hope everything goes well for you in the future and I'm sorry for the way we treated you at the start when you first turned up. You're a lot cooler than we thought."_ Keith gave a half smile before turning the camera off and Ed huffed before clicking the next one.

* * *

Allura and Coran were both on this video and Ed figured it made sense. If he remembered correctly, Keith had kidnapped his tablet for a while before coming back so he must've taken the tablet to them and they'd decided to do the video as one. Allura touched something and the camera moved slightly before she fixed it _._

" _Hello, Edward!"_ Allura smiled cheerfully at him, her hair still loose as she and Coran stood squished together.

" _Hello, young man!"_ Coran greeted just as cheerfully, twirling his moustache between two fingers as he spoke. _"We were told about this rather ingenious idea the Paladins had and they asked us to partake so, of course, we accepted!"_ Coran told him, eyes glinting with pride at how clever humans could be.

" _We are sorry we won't be able to have this conversation in person but we are happy about this opportunity to tell you everything we wanted too as well."_ Allura said, smile dimming only slightly before brightening again.  _"We will try to make this short so that anyone else who hasn't had the chance to video their message before you leave."_ Allura told him.

" _I wish to thank you for listening to this old man's stories whenever you and I were working together. I know I have a tendency to ramble whenever I have a willing ear nearby and I know a couple of the Paladins have avoided me purely because they knew they wouldn't be to handle my chatter and I don't blame them one bit. Some days I don't want to hear anyone speak at all! But it does help when someone listens intently and asks questions like you and Lance do. Speaking of Lance, thank you for what you've done for him. I've noticed he's becoming a little surer of himself, genuinely sure of himself, not that cocky mask he normally wears. So, thank you for that."_ Allura looked sad as Coran spoke, probably not having realised Coran or Lance feeling that way. Coran nudged her and now it was her turn.

" _Like Coran, I wish to thank you for everything you've done for the Paladins. For all the help you have offered everyone, however accidental it was, and for the help you've offered the Lions. I also wish to thank you for those few lessons you were able to give me in alchemy while we were so busy. I know there were probably other things you wanted to do than try and teach me an alchemy so different to yours but I want you to know how much it truly meant to me that you took the time. I also want you to know that the lessons weren't wasted. I've been able to understand the alchemic texts in the library a lot easier and I have more confidence in myself. I haven't forgotten your advice to ask the Lions for help either. I plan to ask once we've started helping aliens get back to their home."_ Allura cleared her throat before continuing.  _"I know I have already apologised and thanked everyone for stopping me from hurting Keith during that whole fiasco but I want to offer my apologies and thanks to you and Brigadier-General Mustang once more. Would you please pass them along to him? Thank you, Edward, for everything you did and helped with and please thank Mustang as well for me. Good luck with your future. I hope we meet again one day."_ She smiled before looking at Coran.

" _Well, I couldn't put it any better myself, young man! Thank you for everything and I wish you luck for your future!"_ Coran said and Allura reached up to stop the video. The file went dark and Ed felt himself smiling happily as he clicked on the second last video file.

* * *

" _Hey, kiddo."_ Shiro was up, it appeared. Ed settled himself back on his pillows as he let the video play _. "I'm glad Pidge, Lance and Hunk thought to do this. I know you've probably listened to everyone else by now and I'm sorry if this goes for a while but I wanted to talk to you about something before you left. If I did, you can just ignore this part of the video."_ Shiro smiled before turning serious _. "I never wanted any of the Paladins to know what it felt like to personally take another's life. All of them are so young and none of them should even be involved in this or any war but there's nothing any of us could've done to avoid it. The Lions chose us but I don't blame them either. After all, if they had waited for everyone to grow up a little more, Haggar might have had the time to figure out how to dimension hop and start draining other universes of their quintessence. I wouldn't want that on anyone else."_ Shiro's expression saddened slightly before he looked back at the camera.  _"When you first appeared, all I could think of was how you were the same as most of the others, despite how you acted. I didn't want you to have to take anyone's life either. I actually planned on taking both Zarkon and Haggar out myself so none of you would have to bear that burden. I failed on both accounts. You and Hunk had to take care of them and I wish I had been just a few seconds sooner so you didn't have to do what you did. You need to talk to Mustang. He knows what you're going through and he can help you work through this when it really hits you. You're too good-hearted for this to not affect you horribly if you don't get help first. Don't let it fester and destroy you from the inside because you don't want to seem weak in front of Mustang and he would never judge you for coming to him for help with something like this. So, please reach out and ask for help the moment all of this hit's you."_ Shiro pleaded with him and Ed hated himself for having already promised Lance he would. Shiro's pleading combined with his promise to Lance basically sealed the deal and he knew he and Mustang would be having a conversation in the future about this. _"Now that I've said that, I hope I do get to say it to your face so I can make sure you really will take my advice but I trust you to do so_." Ed sighed. Shiro really knew how to manipulate him with just his words. Ed blamed Black. The Lion had to have given her Paladin some pointers. He felt her amusement but it was the lack of denial more than anything that told him he was right. Shiro on the video continued speaking. _"The last thing I wanted to say was a thank you for everything you've done for everyone and to thank you for how much trust you showed me when you told me about your nightmares. I don't know if what I said helped you but I hope it did. You should also talk to Mustang about them if they get worse and too intense. I hope you'll pass along my thanks to Mustang as well and I wish you luck with your future."_ Shiro gave him a smile through the camera before switching it off and Ed took a moment to breathe before clicking on the final video.

* * *

" _Hey there,_ amigo _."_ Lance greeted with his normal cocky grin and finger gun. Ed couldn't stop his laugh in time as he relaxed fully into his pillow and watched the video. _"Ah, where do I start with this video? There's so much to say and not enough time! Even if we do technically have a lot of time because it's not like we were given strict instructions for how long these videos had to be but whatever."_ Lance sighed as he stopped staring off to the side and focused back on the camera.  _"Serious time now. I want to thank you, man. Not only are you freaking awesome but you take no one's shit and you don't sugar coat anything. I really envy that about you. I always thought I could be the kind of person who didn't care what anyone thought and would always tell people what I thought, no matter whether that was something they wanted to hear but I let things affect me and I know I've turned into someone who only tells the hard truth to close friends or family when they do need to hear it."_ Lance shook himself as he realised he'd kind of gotten off track. _"Back to what I was saying, thank you. For helping Blue be able to turn into a flesh and blood Lion who can now tackle me with a hug whenever she wants. Also, I want to thank you for helping the others as much as you did while you were here. I think everyone has benefited in some way from you and Mustang and I hope you guys benefited in some way from all of us."_ Lance smiled. _"Also, I wanted to thank you helping Pidgie and I with our fighting skills! I don't know if mullet-head told you but we sparred today and I actually managed to hold my own against him for a lot longer than normal! He still won but I didn't mind because there were a lot of moments during the spar where it could've gone either way. So,_ gracias _!"_ He smiled a blinding smile before it dropped a little bit. _"I am very happy to have met you, Edward, even if I wish that maybe we didn't have to be fighting a war to do so. I am also so sorry that I couldn't help you with Haggar. I'm sorry that I focused on Pidge more than you."_ He stopped for a moment before letting out a small, humourless chuckle _. "Blue says that you don't blame me and that you knew why I needed to get to Pidge and that if you had to chose between asking me to stay and help you or help Pidge, you would make me help Pidge. Still, I'm sorry I couldn't help more."_ Ed sighed and knew he would have to tell Blue what to tell Lance from him so the brunette wouldn't keep beating himself up for this. _"Anyway, I should probably sign off so I can get back to the movie and give you your tablet back. Can you also do me a small favour and thank Mustang for helping Hunk for me? Thanks, man. I honestly hope that we somehow get to see each other again but if we don't than good luck and try not to hurt yourself anymore. Seriously, I think you almost made Coran cry when he saw that scan. You know you don't want to be responsible for that beautiful man crying_." Lance wiggled a finger before giggling and sighing. _"Ah man. But seriously. I'm signing off now. Good luck, man. Keep kicking arse!"_ Lance grinned before the video went black and Ed turned the tablet off, all videos having been watched.

* * *

"Brother?" Al's voice broke through his thoughts of the videos he had just finished watching. Ed hummed questioningly. "Are you okay?" He asked as he stepped through the door and shut it, sending them into a darkened room, lit only by the street lights outside and the bit of moonlight that was shining. Ed watched as Al perched on his bed.

"Yeah, Al. I'm fine." Ed smiled at him honestly. For right now, at the very least, he really was okay. He knew he needed to talk to each Lion so they can give their Paladins a message from him, especially Blue and Lance. He knew he would miss all of them, having grown so close despite only knowing them for ten days. He knew what he did to Haggar would be added to his nightmares and sometime in the near future the realisation of what he'd done to her would hit him emotionally and he also knew he'd take Shiro's advice and talk to Mustang. But for right now, in his bed, with Gracia and Elysia down the hall and his brother opposite him, he was more than okay. He was happy. "I really am." Ed said, more to himself but his brother grinned.

"Good. Because I told Winry you would be calling her tomorrow and she said to tell you it had better be before lunch or she'll catch the next train to Central and introduce you to her newest wrench, if you didn't." Al told him, fair too cheerily now that it wasn't him being threatened.

"That wrench-wielding witch derives far too much pleasure from attacking people who don't deserve it." Ed grumbled as he got himself tucked under his covers. "I almost wish I could take up Blue's offer." He sighed and Al made a questioning noise. "She offered to protect me from Winry when I first told Lance about her methods of persuasion." Ed told him and Al laughed softly.

"That was very sweet of her. I think you probably should've brought her with you. From how Winry sounded, you might discover if she can hit you through the phone line." Al told him and Ed groaned.

"Cranky blonde." Ed muttered and Al had to muffle his giggle into his pillow. Ed allowed himself a small grin.

"I'm glad you're home, Brother." Al said after a few moments.

"Me too, Al." Ed told him truthfully. It was only a matter of minutes before they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this a day early as I have a massive day tomorrow and I don't want to risk that I won't have the time or will be too tired to post tomorrow. I do have a new story that I'll starting to post hopefully in another day or two. I would love your opinions on this story though and thank you to my regular reviewers!


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